Will we see 100% carbon neutral supersonic flights by 2030?
Image: Boom Supersonic via ETX Daily Up
The plan of Boom Supersonic to offer supersonic flights that are faster than ever, accessible to all and carbon neutral, within less than 10 years’ time, is starting to take shape. The American company has announced that production of its aircraft will begin in 2022, with the first commercial flights planned for 2029.
On paper, the Boom Supersonic project looks very promising, but what will it look like in the air? The American company has announced that its Overture will be the fastest airliner in the world, capable of flying long distances in record time. New York to London in 3 hours and 30 minutes, Paris to Montreal in 3 hours and 45 minutes, Tokyo to Seattle in 4 hours and 30 minutes, San Francisco to Tokyo in 6 hours or Los Angeles to Sydney in 8 hours and 30 minutes.
Overture is the heir to Concorde, but faster and more sustainable. Boom Supersonic is announcing 100% carbon-neutral flights. For this, the company has joined forces with Rolls-Royce for the development of its engines and with startup Prometheus for the development of the associated fuel, without providing further details for the moment. Note that it will be able to fly particularly high, up to 60,000 feet (a little over 18,000 m). Inside, Boom Supersonic promises business class comfort at affordable prices, starting at only a few hundred dollars. The maximum capacity of the aircraft will be 88 passengers.
Boom Supersonic’s roadmap calls for production to begin in 2022, with real-world testing starting in 2025 and first commercial flights in 2029, if all goes well. Japan Airlines and Virgin have already put an option on the order of several aircraft, at a cost of about $200 million each. JB
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