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The resurrection of supersonic travel and the quest for net-zero carbon emissions

Double the speed, half the time: from NY to London in 3.5 hours.

Patricia Soares da Costa

Jun 6, 2021

✈ The global aviation industry produces around 2% of all human-induced CO2 emissions and so sleeper trains are having a comeback.

✈ Also back is supersonic passenger travel, which died out with the retirement of the Anglo-French Concorde in 2003, after 27 years of service.

✈️ “The jets will be net-zero carbon from day one [and] optimized to run on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel.” But how? Too good to be true? Environmental groups are worried that faster speeds will equal more pollution.

✈ In addition to United, the startup Boom has contracts or memorandum of understanding with Rolls-Royce and the US Air Force. It has raised $240 million in funding and fielded preorders from Virgin Group (which is also working on its own supersonic jet) and Japan Airlines.

✈️ The Solar Impulse project took Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg flying around the world in a Solar Powered Plane without a single drop of fuel. The journey took 505 days to fly 42.000 km at an average speed of about 70 km/h.

Boom Supersonic @boomaero

Introducing the United supersonic fleet. @united will purchase up to 50 Overture airliners and fly the fleet on 100% sustainable aviation fuels. boomsupersonic.com/united #BoomSupersonic

United Airlines @united

@boomaero Excitement level: through the roof.

🚂 Sustainable travel is getting overnight travel back on track

📚 How many books can you cram at supersonic speed?