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Aviation fans long for the return of supersonic passenger planes. In this decade it will probably be nothing more.
Jean Claude RaemyEditor Economics
2023 will mark the 20th anniversary of Concorde’s last flight. The supersonic passenger jet took off for the last time on November 26, 2003. Due to the fatal accident three years earlier in Paris, but above all because of the immense costs of operation, there has been nothing comparable since then.
But some airlines want to go back to civil supersonic flight. To do this, they cooperate with several specialized aircraft manufacturers. The most visible player in this segment is Boom Supersonic, headquartered in Denver (USA). The company already presented the first prototypes for supersonic passenger aircraft in 2017.
The breakthrough seemed to have come in 2022, when the “Overture” model was presented. This should be able to carry up to 80 passengers at a speed of Mach 1.7 (2100 km/h) at an altitude of 18 kilometers up to 7800 kilometers.
There are already firm orders for the aircraft: United Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the world, wants to buy 15 “Overture” aircraft, with an option for 35 more. American Airlines and Japan Airlines have also entered into strategic partnerships with Boom and have ordered aircraft.
In this decade?
The goal formulated last year was to be able to start commercial flights with the Overture by 2029 at the latest. Construction is scheduled to start in 2024 and the first test flights in 2025. It has not yet been decided which airline will launch the Overture.
However, the goals mentioned are probably too ambitious. A first problem arose when engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce withdrew from the project. No other manufacturer wanted to develop engines for this purpose. After all, Boom was able to announce in December 2022 that it would develop its own supersonic engine together with Florida Turbine Technologies (FTT).
Title: «Symphony». This is no coincidence: despite the enormous thrust, the engine should comply with all current noise regulations. For its part, the Concorde was notorious for its extreme aircraft noise.
Too ambitious schedule?
When and where the engine will be built was not revealed. Whether the Boom assembly plant in Greensboro (USA) will be ready in time for the start of construction in 2024 is questionable.
With the goal of Overture entering service in 2029, Boom has less than seven years to design, build, test and certify both an all-new engine and aircraft. That is very ambitious, to say the least.
Competitors building supersonic passenger planes are also struggling. The company Spike has admitted to problems with the construction of the supersonic business jet S-512. And the company Aerion Supersonic had to cease operations in 2021 after 19 years of existence without ever having built a supersonic jet.
Not so green in a hurry
There are other question marks, such as fuel. Boom promised that the supersonic aircraft would run on clean fuel, so-called SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel). The company is sticking to that. For the time being, however, the Overture is likely to be operated with conventional fuel.
Boom himself has stated that the best-case scenario for the industrial production and use of SAF will be between 2035 and 2040. This requires close cooperation between private investors and state institutions. A topic that will be hotly debated at the upcoming WEF in Davos.