Following the news that American Airlines has made a deposit for a supersonic passenger aircraft;

James Marques, Associate Aerospace, Defense and Security Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“The world’s largest airline firm has put down an unknown deposit for 20 units of BOOM’s supersonic ‘Overture’ commercial aircraft. Despite not being scheduled for its first chartered flight until 2029, this is a vote of confidence in the return of supersonic travel for commercial customers. This allows the slashing of travel times, with the Overture slated to do journeys such as Seattle to Tokyo in only six hours versus the usual ten.

“There are a number of challenges for supersonic flight — engine efficiency and noise pollution — but BOOM’s offering has attracted promising attention, including $60 million in funding from the US Air Force to further develop its airliner. An agreement for engine development was also reached with Rolls Royce, turning heads for its potential to find an economically viable solution to efficiency issues.

“Since the end of Concorde flights in 2003, the world has not seen supersonic passenger aircraft, which is largely due to the related operating and maintenance costs. If BOOM can deliver on its promise of safe and affordable travel on sustainable aviation fuel, it will be a major disruptor in the commercial fixed-wing market, currently forecast by GlobalData to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.2% to 2031, valuing $174 billion.”