In today’s edition of “A Little Beyond Yourself”, American Airlines made a non-refundable deposit for 20 Boom Supersonic jets, Hill report. Unfortunately for AA, those planes don’t really exist yet. In fact, the design is still being finalized on the drawing board.
Boom is coming up with an ambitious plan. It claims that its supersonic jet will have a top speed of 1,300 mph – almost 1.7 times the speed of sound. Each plane can carry 65 to 80 passengers with fares ranging from $4,000 to $5,000. And despite the lack of an actual jet, CEO Blake Scholl said the company would still be ready to make its first 3.5-hour flight from New York City to London in 2029.
The last supersonic passenger flight was performed by Concorde almost 20 years ago, but it was never really successful due to its high cost. Boom is confident it will do things differently – despite the fact that it doesn’t even have an engine supplier available. It also intends to run solely on sustainable fuels, which are still hard to find.
And that’s all before touching the aircraft certification process. The Federal Aviation Administration can require years of testing and analysis before certifying an aircraft, even for established manufacturers like Boeing – and even if the aircraft is not tested for mass. . As a new manufacturer creating a new product, Boom is likely to be subject to an even longer certification process than usual.
Neither AA nor Boom have publicly commented on the financials of their deal, but it’s easy to believe that investing in a supersonic jet could come with a hefty price tag. As one wise man once said, “It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for them. “
