Supersonic London-New York Flights Could Be Back
Imagine catching an early morning flight from Heathrow to JFK, completing an afternoon business meeting, then flying back to London in time for dinner with your spouse and children.
That's the dream of Japan Air Lines (JAL) and Denver-based Boom, who have signed a deal which, if it bears fruit, will bring supersonic air travel back to business and leisure travellers alike.
JAL will be investing $10m into their US partner, in “a strategic partnership to bring commercial supersonic travel to passengers.”
Japan's national carrier “is collaborating with the company [Boom] to refine the aircraft design and help define the passenger experience for supersonic travel.”
But will the US-Japanese alliance solve the issues that eventually put Concorde out of business? The supersonic jets operated by British Airways and Air France were eventually grounded due to the aging aircrafts' high operating costs, low passenger numbers and noise pollution restrictions.
According to Boom, their supersonic aircraft will feature far better fuel efficiency than the old Concordes, and will be made of light composite materials. Additionally, the sonic boom created when it breaks the sound barrier will be 30-times quieter than that of Concorde.
A New York-London ticket will set back business and leisure travellers about $2,500 (£1,850), which compares well with current business class tickets for trans-Atlantic flights.
The new plane will reach speeds of Mach 2.2, compared to the 2.0 of Concorde and 0.85 of regular jetliners. Such speeds would effectively cut today's flight times by 50%.
But there is also the question of whether two private firms can develop such a complex and expensive machine. The original Concorde ending up being heavily subsidized by the UK and French governments due to huge cost overruns. This resulted in the entire BA fleet of seven costing the UK's national carrier just £7 (£1 for each plane). With development costs absorbed, the supersonic planes did actually turn profits for both airlines.
Naturally, the task of developing a safe, air-worthy supersonic passenger jet that is affordable enough to make a profit is no mean feat. But if Boom and JAL manage it, they'll be re-creating one of the most prestigious modes of transport in history, and make it possible to complete a trans-Atlantic business meeting in under 24 hours.
Get a Quote