The New Concorde: Supersonic Air Travel Is on the Horizon

The potential successor of the Concorde has made its maiden voyage in California’s Mojave Desert to bring back commercial supersonic travels in a greener and more energy-efficient manner than its predecessor.

“Today, the XB-1 experimental aircraft took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947,” explains Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. “I’ve been looking forward to this flight since founding Boom in 2014, and it marks the most significant milestone yet on our path to bring supersonic travel to passengers worldwide.” 

Overture, Boom’s sustainable supersonic airliner, sped up to 439 kilometres per hour – way off the speed of sound, just over 1,234 kilometres per hour – at 2,100 meters over the Mojave Air & Space Port. Still, in its early development phase, Overture met all its test objectives, including safety and assessment of the aircraft’s handling. Yet, United Airlines is interested in purchasing up to 50 supersonic jets for commercial use by 2029.