London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

United Airlines aims to have supersonic flights by 2029

United Airlines aims to have supersonic flights by 2029

United Airlines said it plans to acquire 15 Boom Supersonic jets, with an option for 35 more aircraft.
United Airlines aims to bring supersonic travel backbefore the end of this decade, with an aircraft that is currently just a sketch. What's more, not even the prototype has taken off.

The airline said Thursday that it plans to acquire 15 Boom Supersonic jets, with an option for 35 more aircraft once the fledgling company designs an aircraft capable of breaking the sound barrier and meeting environmental and safety standards.

United hopes to carry passengers on the plane by 2029. The airline said the plane will cut flight times between London and the New York area to just three and a half hours, and reach Tokyo from San Francisco in just six hours.

United declined to disclose financial terms, but Boom CEO Blake Scholl said the deal was for $ 3 billion, or $ 200 million per aircraft, without the usual industry discount.

Almost two decades have passed since the last flight of the supersonic Concorde, which British Airways and Air France began using in 1976 to carry passengers with all the luxuries from one side of the Atlantic to the other. The last aircraft of its kind was retired in 2003, three years after an Air France Concorde crashed into a hotel shortly after taking off from Paris, killing everyone on board and four others on the ground.

Several companies are working to create new supersonic jets that, compared to the Concorde, would use less fuel and create fewer emissions that affect climate change.

Boom is working to develop an 88-seat aircraft called the Overture, which the company claims would be the first supersonic aircraft to fly on "sustainable fuel." Scholl said that a prototype - one-third its actual size - would make its first test flight later this year or early 2022.

The Denver-based company said the plane will be capable of reaching 1.7 times the speed of sound, or 2,092 km / h (1,300 mph). That's less than the Concorde, but more than double that of most commercial jets today.

United's endorsement represents a huge boost for Boom. A competing company, Aerion, said last month that it was running out of funds for the production of its supersonic aircraft, the AS2.

Supersonic jets are generally prohibited from flying through populated areas due to the sonic blasts they create. That rules out many possible routes, since there the planes would have to fly at subsonic speeds, which is much less efficient.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×