American Airlines orders 20 Boom Supersonic Overture airliners

American Airlines Boom Supersonic Overture airliner
Concept image of Boom Overture. Photo: © Boom Supersonic

The United States carrier, American Airlines has announced that it has placed an order for 20 Boom Supersonic Overture airliners.

The order consists of 20 firm orders, with options for an additional 40. The Denver-based startup manufacturer aims to have commercial, supersonic air travel available to the public with the entry-into-service of Overture in 2029. This would be the first time that supersonic passenger transport will have been a reality since the retirement of Concorde in 2003. American’s order marks the largest for the type to date, taking the top place from United, which previously placed an order for 15 Overture jets in June of 2021. The concept has since been redesigned and presented at this years Farnborough Air Show back in July.

There are plenty of industry commentators who are remaining hugely sceptical about the reality of the program, citing issues from environmental and sustainability concerns, or even to the fact that no engine manufacturer has announced support to develop an engine for the new jetliner. American was quick to comment on its faith in the project by (rather unusually) stating that it had even paid a non-refundable deposit for its 20 firm orders.

American Airlines says it hopes that the supersonic airliner will connect cities such as London and Miami in under 5 hours. Boom estimates that the aircraft will carry between 65 and 80 passengers over a distance of up to 4,250 nautical miles, at speeds of up to Mach 1.7.

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