The Return of Supersonic Airliners: New York to London in 3.5 Hours

Introduction

From 1969 to 2003, the Concorde Airliner travelled passengers across the Atlantic at speeds two times greater than that of sound. Operated by British Airways and Air France, the Concorde offered premium flights from New York to London in under 3.5 hours, with the record sitting at 2 hours and 52 minutes (in 1996). Nevertheless, this plane carried with it a variety of problems that restricted it from wide adoption, and ultimately led to its retirement in 2003, with commercial supersonic travel never to return. Yet it seems that commercial supersonic airliners are making a comeback, with the company Boom Supersonic’s proposed airliner – the Overture – promising travel at Mach 1.7 speeds. Boom has already secured 130 orders and pre-orders from major airliners, such as United Airlines, and, as of January 2025, have successfully carried out supersonic flight with their demonstration aircraft, the XB-1.

The Concorde

As promising as the developments of Boom appear to be, there are many advancements they must make to, unlike Concorde, succeed in the modern world of commercial airliners. So what were the causes of Concorde’s ultimate failure? It seemed to be a mix of limited range and routes, environmental concerns, high operating costs, and subsequently high ticket costs. As a consequence of regulation, the Concorde was restricted to transoceanic travel and, as a result of range difficulty, was ultimately confined to transatlantic travel from New York to London and Paris (and vice versa). This was a significant challenge as the main appeal of supersonic travel is to save time on long trips, which demands access to major routes across both the Atlantic and the Pacific, as well as throughout the Eurasian continent. Furthermore, the high operating costs of the Concorde meant that it was only accessible to the ultra wealthy, with seats, adjusted for inflation, costing upwards of $20,000 at their peak – and the experience exclusively of a first-class equivalent nature. With the market thus greatly restricted, it was of no help that the tremendous speeds of the Concorde led to significant fuel inefficiency and emissions, overall pushing the plane out of existence.

How does The Overture Surpass The Concorde?

Now, 22 years after the retirement of the Concorde, Boom’s Overture  airliner aims to do what the Concorde could not, and in doing so gain far greater market success. As we previously mentioned, the primary demand of supersonic flight is to enable substantially faster flight over long routes. Unlike the Concorde (which only went from New York to London and Paris), the Overture is set to take advantage of over 600 transoceanic routes, including through both the Pacific and the Atlantic. Moreover, due to a variety of technological advancements allowing for greater fuel efficiency, digitisation, and other mechanical improvements, the operational costs of the Overture will be notably reduced. With their aim of increasing availability of their airliners, the prices are estimated to be similar to that of a typical business-class fare.

The Overture - Boom Supersonic

One important example of the technological improvements made in the Overture is their turbofan engine Symphony. By innovating a new engine from the ground up (rather than taking advantage of existing derivatives), the Symphony allows notably quieter performance, as well as a 10% greater fuel efficiency compared to derivative approaches. Furthermore, the plane has been built to rely on 100% sustainable fuel, reducing lifetime carbon emissions by up to 80%. Overall, the Overture offers incredible potential – improving on traditional airliners in speed, efficiency and emissions – and is set to open up to the public in 2029, but how influential will it prove to be?

But Is Speed Really the Future?

It makes sense to assume that faster air travel is the future, and that Overture-like planes will eventually become the norm. Yet while this may one day be the case, it seems unlikely to be fulfilled in the near term. For any product to sell, there must be a sufficient level of demand, and, without, the product’s adoption will be naturally limited. This principle seems to be worth consideration in regard to Boom Supersonic’s market. There are clear areas where the Overture airliner will be of immediate appeal, in settings where speed and efficiency are prioritised. Cargo goods transport is a noteworthy example of this, where there is great potential in speeding up existing supply chains, yet the passenger market is surprisingly narrow.

The majority of airline traffic is related to leisure and vacations, along with visits to family and friends, and this number is only increasing as digitised meetings limit the need for business flights. This is an important recognition, as people on vacation are typically unconcerned with time. Instead, the priority generally lies heavily with leisure and comfort, as well as price in many circumstances. As traditional airliners are already the norm, and accommodate for a wide range of passengers, it seems unlikely that many people will find enough genuine value in supersonic travel to actually try it out. Furthermore, as we previously mentioned, digital meetings, such as with Zoom and Teams, are reducing the need for business flights, meaning that much of the potential market of Boom is shrinking. It seems instead that Boom’s primary market will be similar to the Concorde’s: the ultra wealthy, for whom speed and efficiency are an open and desirable luxury. However, this is of course a small and exclusive market, and it does raise concern over the commercial viability of Boom and other supersonic commercial airliners. In the end, Boom’s Overture is a brilliant development with tremendous potential, yet it’s commercial success and market-wide impact remain to be seen.

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