It looks like the age of supersonic air travel is poised to make a return and United Airlines, which operates direct flights from New York to Palma during the summer has placed preliminary orders for the new Overture airliner being developed and built by Boom Technology, Inc. According to Forbes, United said in 2021 that it “will purchase 15 of Boom’s ‘Overture’ airliners, once Overture meets United’s demanding safety, operating and sustainability requirements, with an option for an additional 35 aircraft. The companies will work together on meeting those requirements before delivery.”
Boom states: “We believe that life is better lived in person. Our mission at Boom is to make the world dramatically more accessible. Sustainable supersonic travel enables three-day business trips to become one-day hops, long distance relationships to thrive, and humanitarian missions to save more lives.
“The shift from the age of propeller planes to the Jet Age proved that faster travel not only saves time, but also has second and third order benefits. Getting to your destination faster is not just a matter of time savings, it can be the difference between going and not going. Before the Jet Age, few went to Hawaii—and it was the speed of the jet that transformed Hawaii into the thriving destination it is today. The Jet Age enabled The Beatles’ World Tour and doing business across the globe for brands like Nike. Flights onboard Overture will cut travel times in half, ushering in the next era of faster travel.”
Overture is the supersonic airliner that will carry 60-80 passengers. Overture will fly at twice the speed of today’s airliners and is designed to run on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). We are designing Overture to industry-leading standards of speed, safety, and sustainability.
“XB-1 is our supersonic demonstrator aircraft, which made history by breaking the sound barrier for the first time in January 2025. XB-1 is the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet, and the first civil supersonic jet made in America. With XB-1, Boom has demonstrated that we have the team and the technology for a supersonic airliner.” The airline will be able to fly from New York to London, for example, in three hours 40 minutes, so New York to Palma, for example, would not take much longer.
According to Travel Radar, the Supersonic next-generation jet nicknamed the ‘New Concorde,’ promises to revive the speed and prestige once associated with its legendary predecessor. If all goes according to plan, passengers could once again experience supersonic journeys by 2029, marking a new era of high-speed commercial aviation. Boom Supersonic plans to operate on more than 600 routes, focusing on time-critical journeys that could transform business travel and international connectivity.