Will there ever be supersonic flight again?
(CNN) — United Airlines has announced it will purchase up to 50 Boom Overture supersonic jets for commercial use by 2029, heralding the return of supersonic passenger flights nearly 20 years after the Concorde was decommissioned.
Will Concorde ever return?
Nearly two decades since the last supersonic passenger flight, of the British-French airliner Concorde, took off, the planes are set to return to the runways by 2029.
Why did they retire the Concord?
All Concorde flights were grounded for over a year after the incident. Citing rising operating costs and reduced ticket sales, British Airways retired its Concorde fleet in October 2003. Air France, the only other Concorde carrier, had permanently grounded its jets in May 2003.
When will supersonic airliners return to the US?
US airline United has announced plans to buy 15 new supersonic airliners and “return supersonic speeds to aviation” in the year 2029. Supersonic passenger flights ended in 2003 when Air France and British Airways retired Concorde.
How much does it cost to fly a supersonic plane?
In Denver, Colorado, a 55-75 seater supersonic airliner named Overture is shaping up in the hangar of Boom Supersonic. The aircraft, designed to cruise at Mach 2.2 (1,451 mph), has a price tag of $200 million, and has already garnered $6 billion worth of pre-orders for 10 Overtures from Virgin Group and 20 from Japan Airlines.
What’s wrong with supersonic passenger travel?
There are two major concerns with supersonic passenger travel: noise and pollution. Travelling faster than the speed of sound causes a sonic boom, which can be heard on the ground as a loud thunderclap or explosion. It’s where the company Boom got its name. The boom limits where the planes can fly.
Is supersonic flight just around the corner?
(CNN) — A new era of supersonic flight might be just around the corner, but there are three challenges to overcome when it comes to flying faster than the speed of sound. Those are the three Es of aviation: engineering, environment and economics.