American Airlines will purchase as many as 20 Boom supersonic Overture aircraft, the two companies announced.
The order not only marks the second time a U.S. airline has moved to order Boom’s superfast airplane and comes some 20 years after the Concorde, the last commercially viable supersonic jet, was grounded by Air France and British Airways.
The Overture is capable of traveling at 1.7 Mach, or 1.7 times the speed of sound, some 1,300 mph (2,092 km/h). The planes are expected to be delivered by 2029.
American called the Overture an important move for the future.
“ Looking to the future, supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers, ” said the airline’s CFO, Derek Kerr .
The Concorde revolutionized travel when it was introduced in 1976, halving the travel time between New York and London and New York and Paris, for example. Because the Concorde sonic booms when flying over land, it was limited to transoceanic voyages only and could not fly many routes that would otherwise have benefited from a shorter flight time.
Boom has secured 130 orders since announcing the plane two years ago. American’s deal includes options for 40 additional jets.
The Overture aircraft can seat between 65 and 80 passengers depending on the configuration and it travels at a speed that is twice the fastest current commercial passenger aircraft. It is capable of reaching Honolulu from Los Angeles in three hours and London from Miami in five and a half.
The plane has a range of 4,250 nautical miles (4,890 miles or 7,871 km).
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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