Dreaming of a trip to New York but put off by the long flight times? An astonishing new plane – the first supersonic passenger plane since Concorde – could cut the time of transatlantic flights . Dubbed ‘Overture’, the jets are being developed Boom Supersonic, a company based out of Colorado. They are purported to be able to cross the Atlantic from London to New York in just three hours and 30 minutes – a vast reduction from the current average flight time of just over eight hours.
Recent tests by Boom Supersonic of a scaled-down model of what will, in theory, eventually become the real deal saw models reach 283 mph and have buoyed developers and investors. Obviously, Boom Supersonic are not yet at the stage of launching supersonic passenger jets commercially. If tests continue to go well, these jets could launch in the next decade, with some experts estimating that flights could be available as soon as 2030.
A handful of major airlines have made deals to carry ‘Overture’ planes. They include American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines. Boom Supersonic estimates that there are more than 600 profitable routes that could be made quicker with ‘Overture’ jets.
As well as London and New York, flight times from London to Miami could go down to five hours (currently, it takes just over 10 hours to fly between the two); while Tokyo to San Francisco could take six hours rather than nine and a half. Air travel has long been a cause for concern when it comes .