Half a century ago, the Concorde sliced through the sky at twice the speed of sound, promising a glamorous future of ultra-fast global travel. A London-to-New York hop in under 3.5 hours? That was reality, not science fiction. Yet after just 27 years in service, Concorde was grounded, undone by economics, noise restrictions, and tragedy. Supersonic travel became a beautiful ghost, a marvel consigned to aviation museums and nostalgia.
Now, the race is on to resurrect that dream. But this time, it’s not just about speed—it’s about sustainability, accessibility, and whether technology can overcome the sonic boom that turned Concorde into a pariah. From Silicon Valley startups to NASA test beds, a new generation of engineers and dreamers believes supersonic travel is on the verge of a triumphant comeback.
Currently, there are no supersonic jets in commercial passenger service; they are the sole province of the military sector. But this is likely to soon change.
Supersonic jets refer to aircraft traveling at speeds higher than the speed of sound. Supersonic jets typically travel at speeds greater than 750 mph but less than 1500 mph.
Mach is used as a unit of measurement in stating the speed of a moving object in relation to the speed of sound. The speed of sound is about 761 mph. If an aircraft is traveling at Mach 1, it is traveling at the speed of sound.
Concorde’s Comeback: Supersonic Flight Poised to Rise Again
The Concorde, the sleek supersonic airliner jointly developed by the British and French aviation industries, made its maiden flight in 1969. Instantly recognizable by its delta wing and droop-nose design, Concorde was an aerodynamic marvel, a fusion of form and function that symbolized the future of air travel.
With a takeoff speed of 250 mph and a cruising speed of 1,350 mph, Concorde flew more than twice as fast as today’s commercial jets. It could whisk passengers from London to New York in under three hours, a journey that now takes over seven and a half hours. Only 20 Concordes were ever built, operated exclusively by British Airways and Air France, and not all entered commercial service.
So why did this high-speed icon vanish?
In 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed, killing all 113 aboard. The crash was caused by a piece of metal on the runway that ruptured a tire during takeoff, leading to a fuel tank puncture and subsequent fire.
Before the crash, the Concorde had enjoyed a stellar safety record. But it was grounded for other reasons, due to a combination of economic and regulatory headwinds. High operating costs, limited seating (just 92 to 128 passengers), and a ban on supersonic overland flights—imposed by many countries, including the U.S. in 1973 over concerns about sonic booms and environmental impact—spelled the end of the era.
But supersonic flight may soon return. On June 6, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14304, overturning what he called “outdated and overly restrictive regulations,” effectively opening U.S. airspace once again to commercial supersonic travel over land.
Leading the revival is Fly-Concorde, a startup aiming to resurrect the legendary aircraft with a modern twist. The new Concorde will retain the iconic silhouette of the original but use advanced, thermal-resistant carbon fiber composites to cut its weight by 50%. It will be powered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), reducing emissions by up to 80%.
The next-generation jet will cruise at 60,000 feet, well above the 38,000-foot altitude of typical airliners, and slice travel times dramatically: London to New York in just two hours, and Paris to Riyadh in a mere 1 hour and 43 minutes, down from more than five. Even better, the aircraft promises to be faster, quieter, and cleaner than its predecessor.
The first passenger flights are slated for January 2026.
Boom Supersonic: Betting on Overture
Also leading the commercial charge is Colorado-based startup Boom Supersonic, whose sleek, needle-nosed jet dubbed Overture is being built to fly at Mach 1.7, just over 1,100 mph. That’s fast enough to cut a 10-hour transpacific flight to six. But Boom’s ambitions go far beyond rehashing Concorde.
Founder and CEO Blake Scholl insists the new jet will be cleaner, quieter, and more economically viable than its infamous predecessor. Boom aims to introduce the Overture in 2029.
Overture is designed to carry 64 to 80 passengers, fewer than Concorde. The company already has tentative commitments from major players, including United Airlines and American Airlines, with a reported 130 orders in the pipeline. Boom’s recently unveiled XB-1 prototype, a scaled-down demonstrator jet, has completed ground testing, with flight tests expected throughout the rest of 2025.
But skeptics remain.
Aerospace giants like Boeing and Airbus have dabbled in supersonic concepts before backing away, citing prohibitive costs and limited demand.
NASA’s Quiet Revolution: The X-59
Meanwhile, in a hangar in Palmdale, California, NASA is taking a radically different approach to the speed of sound. The agency’s X-59 Quesst program—short for Quiet Supersonic Technology—isn’t about commercial service per se. It’s a $650 million bet that supersonic flight could return to everyday skies.
The X-59’s most striking feature is its shape: a 99-foot-long fuselage with a dramatically pointed nose and a cockpit positioned halfway down the body, more reminiscent of a cruise missile than a traditional aircraft. The design isn’t just for style. That elongated nose and fuselage configuration are crafted to break up shock waves in flight, turning the traditional ear-splitting sonic boom into a soft thump, what NASA calls a “sonic thud.”
The X-59 won’t carry passengers. But it will collect crucial data by flying over populated areas and measuring public response to the sound, or lack thereof. The goal? Convince the FAA and international regulators to lift bans on overland supersonic flight, opening the door for companies like Fly-Concorde and Boom to fly from New York to Los Angeles at supersonic speeds.
Global rivalry is once again simmering. China is exploring its own hypersonic designs. The European Union is funding supersonic research through its Horizon program. Japan is testing new materials and propulsion systems. And the Pentagon, while mum on commercial intent, is also pursuing supersonic and even hypersonic transport under defense budgets.
It’s a 21st-century space race—except this time, it’s about who can bring the world closer faster, quieter, and cleaner.
Supersonic 2.0—Cautiously Optimistic
Will supersonic flight ever become routine? That remains an open question. The technological hurdles are steep, and history has shown that hype often outpaces reality.
Keep in mind, the physics of supersonic flight mean that it requires about twice as much fuel per passenger-mile as current subsonic commercial aircraft. Due to sonic booms, planes are restricted from supersonic flight above populated areas. And what’s more, the development and production of supersonic aircraft, or any new innovative aircraft, requires enormous capital.
So supersonic won’t affect the values, lease rates, and demand for conventional aircraft…not anytime soon.
Yet, something feels different this time.
The convergence of modern materials, sustainable fuels, aerodynamic innovation, and regulatory pressure for greener aviation is creating an inflection point. The need for faster travel hasn’t disappeared; it’s just been waiting for technology to catch up.
Editor’s Note: This article is a condensed transcript of the video presentation, to provide a fast read. For greater details, watch the video.
