Tuesday 16 August 2022 07:34 PM American Airlines commits to buy 20 supersonic Overture jets trends now
American Airlines on Tuesday agreed to buy up to 20 Overture jets from aircraft maker Boom Supersonic, saying they will cut the time of long-haul flights over water nearly in half.
Still under development, the Overture is expected to reach speeds of Mach 1.7, or about 1,300 mph, double the speed of current commercial jets and making the trip between Miami and London in five hours, down from nearly nine.
American, which also has an option to purchase 40 additional Overture jets, made an unspecified non-refundable deposit on the initial 20 planes, each of will carry some 65 to 80 passengers when they debut in 2029.
Neither American nor the plane manufacturer would provide financial details of the deal, including the size of American's deposit.
American becomes the second U.S. customer for Boom after a similar announcement last year from United Airlines, which committed to buying at least 15 of the planes.
American Airlines on Tuesday agreed to buy up to 20 Overture jets (above) from aircraft maker Boom Supersonic, vowing to cut the time of long-haul flights over water nearly in half
Still under development, the Overture is expected to reach speeds of Mach 1.7, or about 1,300 mph, roughly double the top speed of the fastest current commercial jets on the market, including the Boeing 747
It has been nearly 20 years since the last supersonic passenger flight by Concorde, the British-French plane that failed to catch on because of the high cost of flights, which ran about $12,000 for a round-trip from New York to London.
Boom CEO Blake Scholl insists his company's plane will be different, with tickets costing about $4,000 to $5,000 to fly from New York to London in about three and one-half hours.
'There are tens of millions of passengers every year flying in business class on routes where Overture will give a big speed-up,' Scholl told Reuters, 'and airlines will be able to do it profitably.'
American spokesperson Matt Miller said it was too early to discuss ticket prices, given the aircraft isn't expected to carry its first passengers until 2029.
Boom says the Overture program will cost between $6 billion and $8 billion. The plane carries a list price of $200 million, although other manufacturers routinely give airlines deep discounts, and American did not disclose what it plans to pay.
Skeptics have questioned Boom's ambitious timetable, especially in light of the many years it has taken Boeing, an established manufacturer, to get planes or even retrofits to planes approved by the Federal
