Is supersonic air travel the future of aviation?

This National Aviation Day, there’s a lot to think about in the business aviation space, from summer air travel chaos to the latest news about American Airlines’ new supersonic jet investment.

The new investment raises questions about the future of the aviation industry: Is supersonic air travel the next big thing? Or will time-sensitive international business travelers and leisure travelers with no spending constraints become the standard for the best form of air travel for those who can afford it?

And what about sustainability? Will supersonic air travel create more problems for the industry’s carbon emission reduction efforts or help solve them?

These are the questions I wonder about, so let’s answer them together!

Question 1: Is supersonic air travel becoming the next big thing?

We haven’t heard much about supersonic air travel since 2014 when American Airlines purchased 20 planes from Boom Supersonic, a company that has been developing modern supersonic planes until 2029.

American Airlines isn’t the only airline investing in Boom Supersonic’s Overture aircraft. United Airlines was the first US carrier to sign a contract to buy at least 15 of these planes when they become commercially viable in June 2021. Japan Airlines partnered with Boom in 2017 and had an option to purchase 20 aircraft.

Other strategic partners include the United States Air Force, which is looking at the best planes to quickly fly dignitaries and world leaders around the world.

While all of this points to a future where supersonic flights are a reality, these aircraft are not new technologies like repeatable rockets or space balloons. They have been around since the 1970s and the last flights were operated by British Airways and Air France in 2003, twenty years ago.

What’s new is the technology they contain to reduce noise, increase the overall safety of the people on board, reduce carbon emissions and generally help them fly faster.

Question Two: Will supersonic travel become the dominant mode of air travel?

But does that mean they’ll start out differently than their original debut in the 1970s, which became a thirty-year trend?

The planes are currently designed to accommodate 65-80 passengers, which is the airline equivalent of a boutique hotel. This means that passengers on these planes can get more space and a better flight experience, which means that the commercial aspect of these planes can be lost for passengers who normally sit in business class and first class categories. Spend a little more on these flights to save time.

That could hamper their ability to completely replace traditional airplanes, which may be more affordable and more attractive options for many travelers.

Supersonic aircraft could shake up how traditional airplanes operate, not in a bad way.

Think about it: If more traditional first-class and business-class passengers choose to take supersonic jets for international travel instead, that means traditional business and first-class seats could become more affordable and therefore more accessible to travelers flying traditional flights around the world. As the demand for the seats from regular customers will be less than before.

Question Three: Are supersonic flights better for the environment?

With Boom Supersonic’s Overture plane, they will be.

The company is committed to using only sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) for all flights and creating an end-to-end net zero carbon process. According to statistics, flights with SFAs reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent, as opposed to supersonic flights using traditional jet fuel.

The manufacturing facility is expected to be LEED certified, using clean energy and reducing production wastage.

Supersonic aircraft appear to be more sustainable than traditional aircraft, but their smaller passenger capacity and the question of whether they will replace traditional aircraft call into question the impact of the sustainability focus on the aviation industry as a whole.

A forecast for the supersonic aviation industry

While I believe that supersonic travel will come back and last more than the thirty years it enjoyed in the 20th century (a better form of travel won’t replace it anytime soon – teleportation, perhaps?), I find it hard to do. They believe that supersonic aviation will completely replace traditional aviation because of the passenger capacity and the implied higher ticket prices.

After all, as the old saying goes, time is money. right?