"Supersonic passenger plane" will return to the stage?
The speed is twice as high as the current passenger aircraft, and the flight time is halved!
But two major shortcomings have been exposed before →
According to a Reuters report, on the 3rd local time, United Airlines stated that it plans to purchase 15 passenger planes from a start-up company that manufactures supersonic aircraft. Can the supersonic aircraft that had withdrawn from the stage of history in 2003 be returned to commercial use?
This move by United Airlines has attracted attention.
Back to the stage?
United Airlines wants to buy 15 supersonic passenger jets
The two companies stated in a joint statement that, according to the agreement, once the supersonic passenger aircraft produced by the supersonic aircraft manufacturer named Boom can meet United Airlines’ safety, operations, and sustainability requirements. Request, United Airlines will purchase 15 planes, and the agreement also includes the content that United Airlines may increase the total purchase to 50 planes.
But the agreement did not disclose the terms of the financial arrangement.
The flight time is halved, Boum’s supersonic airliner aims for business travel
The American Boum company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Denver. The first commercial supersonic passenger aircraft developed by the company is named "Prelude", which can carry 65 to 88 passengers and is scheduled to be put into use in 2029.
Boum said that the speed of this aircraft can reach twice the speed of the leading commercial airliner currently on the market, so if it is put into commercial routes, the flight time can be cut in half.
For example, it usually takes 7 hours to fly from New York to London, while the "Prelude" takes only three and a half hours.
According to reports, this American start-up is targeting the huge business aviation market.
According to estimates, the global market demand for supersonic passenger aircraft is about 100 to 200 per year. From the perspective of ticket prices, it is estimated that the fare of the "Prelude" supersonic passenger aircraft should be equivalent to the business class fare of ordinary passenger aircraft, that is The economy class fare is 1.5 times higher.
The blue sky career of commercial supersonic aircraft began with the Concorde supersonic aircraft in the 1970s, which was once used by Air France and British Airways.
But this epoch-making aircraft was fully retired in 2003, 18 years ago, partly because the aircraft traveled too fast and produced huge explosion-like noises and had an intolerable impact on the environment.
Therefore, if the supersonic aircraft returns, it will face the strict requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulatory agencies: that is, it must first obtain a "pass" on the "land".
In addition, supersonic airplanes have been widely criticized because they consume more fuel per passenger than ordinary airplanes. This runs counter to the current global trend of pursuing environmental protection. United Airlines previously promised to achieve the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Boum company also announced that it will focus on the procurement and use of 100% sustainable aviation fuel to help airlines achieve net zero carbon emissions.