Japan Airlines has invested $10 million in Denver-based Boom
to speed development of a supersonic commercial aircraft.
By the middle of the next decade, Boom aims to have an
aircraft in service capable of traveling 2.2 times the speed of sound—nearly
1,700 miles per hour—and with 45 to 55 business class-style seats. Per the investment
agreement, JAL will help refine the aircraft design and gains the option to
purchase as many as 20 Boom aircraft. Boom projects a flight between San
Francisco and Tokyo would take 5 hours, 30 minutes.
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, who at one time showed
interest in buying the Concorde fleet, also is working with Boom. He already has
taken an option for some of its aircraft and offered development assistance via
Virgin Galactic.
No commercial supersonic transport has been in use since
both Air France and British Airways retired the Concorde in 2003. The Concorde
had a maximum speed just over twice the speed of sound and could seat more than
100 passengers, but rising maintenance costs and a decline in passengers
following a deadly post-takeoff crash in Paris in July 2000 forced its
retirement.
Boom is correcting some aspects that doomed the Concorde. It
claims its aircraft will produce a sonic boom at least 30 times quieter than the
Concorde's, which often prompted noise complaints. In addition, it is designing
the aircraft to keep costs down so airlines can charge fares comparable to
business class. Round-trip fares on the Concorde between New York and London
generally were more than $10,000, according to the BBC, while Boom lists its
projected costs as $2,500 per leg for the same journey.
At the same time, there are ongoing projects in the works to
bring supersonic travel to the private aviation arena. Reno, Nev.-based Aerion is
collaborating with partners like Airbus and GE Aviation. They aim for the AS2
supersonic business jet to take its first flight in 2023. Similarly, Spike
Aerospace expects the Spike S-512 Quiet Supersonic Jet to deliver in 2023. NASA
and Lockheed Martin also are collaborating on a supersonic jet design.