American Airlines and Boom Super Sonica company that is developing ultra-fast aircraft, have reached an agreement for the acquisition of 20 model supersonic aircraft Overturewith the possibility of buying an additional 40.
These planes, designed by the aeronautical manufacturing company, will be capable of fly twice as fast than other aircraft and will start production in 2024, but it has already been announced that among its characteristics will be the most efficient use of fuel.
For its part, American Airlines indicated that it seeks to have an entire fleet of supersonic aircraft that can travel the route from Miami to London in less than five hoursa distance that current direct flights take nine hours to travel.
One more aircraft order
This is not the first order that Boom Supersonic receives before starting the manufacture of its Overture aircraft. In June 2021 the company United Airlines had already signed an agreement to buy 15 units of this model and, like American, get an additional amount of 35.
Although the manufacturing company expects the first supersonic model start manufacturing in 2024, it will not be until 2025 that the plane will leave the assembly line, according to the international media CNBC at the beginning of the year. However, its operations with passengers would not be possible until 2029.
The manufacturing plant will be located near the Atlantic Coast, precisely in Greensboro, in the United States, since the first tests will be carried out there.
“Proximity to the ocean is an important factor. The vast majority of our flight tests will be done over water, where the aircraft can accelerate so there is no sonic boom over populated areas,” Blake Scholl, the company’s founder and CEO, told CNBC.
Consider sustainability
As reported by the aeronautical company itself, Boom considered sustainability criteria to be able to design the Overture, since one of its objectives is that the commercial flights of these ships be of zero carbon emissionssomething complex due to the relationship between the current supply of flights and environmental pollution.
In addition, it points out that a sustainable project for the fuel of its planes is being sought to solve the problem caused by the emission of greenhouse gases. At the moment, your best option is one that offers the up to 80% CO2 reduction compared to the conventional offer destined for traditional commercial flights.
Prometheus Fuels, a company that claims to have a process that allows it to create sustainable fuel from CO2 in the airteamed up with Boom Supersonic to jointly achieve this goal.
NASA in favor of supersonic flights
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is interested in building an X-59 ‘Quiet SuperSonic Technology’ supersonic aircraft that allows the sonic booms of these ships to be silent and not bother people.
After carrying out scale tests with a supersonic wind tunnel, it was determined that a aircraft with this type of technology it was possible to manufacture.
“The goal is to provide data on noise and community response to regulators, which could lead to new rules for supersonic land flights. The test showed that not only do we have a quieter aircraft design, but we also have the precise tools needed to predict the noise of future aircraft,” said John Wolter, principal investigator for the test, in a statement.
:
