Boom Overture has just jumped two significant hurdles that naysayers said they couldn’t since last we wrote about Hawaii supersonic flights. The first aircraft will come off the new assembly line in just over two years. American Airlines, Japan Airlines, and United Airlines are all partnering in this significant undertaking to revolutionize Hawaii travel before the decade’s end.
Hawaii remains a focus destination for Boom Overture flights.
Hawaii has been a focal point for supersonic flights for some forty years. Hawaii-centric United Airlines plans to be an early adopter in this next generation of supersonic airline travel. You can be sure they have the islands in those plans. While the very first flights may be between New York and London, Hawaii won’t take a back seat for long.
The plane is the first airliner developed to run exclusively on 100% sustainable aviation fuel.
Last year we wrote about the upcoming supersonic flights to Hawaii, and readers were most excited about the prospect of traveling to the islands in just two hours from the west coast. Others said, however, that it was an environmental disaster, and some said the cost would be totally outrageous. Those issues notwithstanding, the first new plane should begin testing within two years.
A huge manufacturing plant is now in construction.
Boom is building a 400,000-square-foot plant in Greensboro, North Carolina, to produce the Overture supersonic airliner. The Overture Superfactory is on a 62-acre campus at the Piedmont Triad International Airport. It will house the assembly line, test facility, and aircraft delivery center for Overture.
New Symphony engines are to be at the ready.
Just before announcing the groundbreaking for its factory, the company unveiled its new Symphony engine for the Overture planes. The powerful new turbo-fan engines are designed for quiet operation and net-zero carbon efficiency.
This new engine is based on a partnership between GE Additive, Standard Aero, and Florida Turbine Technologies. Boom said, “Developing a supersonic engine specifically for Overture offers by far the best value proposition for our customers.” Plans include an engine with less maintenance and repair costs. UAL Ventures said, “United and Boom share a passion for making the world dramatically more accessible through sustainable supersonic travel… We are looking forward to a United supersonic fleet powered by Symphony.”
Boom said that the new engines “are conceived with the same basic engine architecture found in nearly all of today’s regular commercial aircraft. However, in a deviation from traditional subsonic turbofans, this next-generation propulsion system adds a proprietary Boom-designed axisymmetric supersonic intake, matched with a variable-geometry low-noise exhaust nozzle and a passively cooled high-pressure turbine.”
United Airlines and American Airlines are already onboard.
Last year Boom Supersonic inked a deal with United Airlines to “Purchase 15 of Boom’s ‘Overture’ airliners, once Overture meets United’s demanding safety, operating and sustainability requirements, with an option for 35 more aircraft.”
United CEO Scott Kirby said, “Boom’s vision for the future of commercial aviation, combined with the industry’s most robust route network in the world, will give business and leisure travelers access to a stellar flight experience.” United will nimbly fly premium Hawaii routes using Overture.
In just 6 years, these planes will carry paying passengers.
The planes will use copious amounts of 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to fly at 1,300 mph with 65-88 passengers. The aircraft will have a range of 4,250 nautical miles, which means Hawaii is easily reachable from the West Coast and beyond. However, based on current rules, the plane could not fly at supersonic speeds over the US mainland.
The first Boom Overture plane is set to be completed in 2025.
The first plane is scheduled to begin assembly in 2024 and be completed at the end of the following year. That will be immediately followed by subsonic flight tests at their Piedmont Triad International Airport location.
What’s the cost of flying a supersonic to Hawaii?
We’ll stick our necks out on this and predict one-way fares from the west coast from $3,000 to $5,000 in today’s dollars. Currently, first-class and business (lie-flat) seats from Los Angeles, for example, can run up to $2,000. As for flight times, the west coast to Honolulu and Maui from the Bay Area and Los Angeles will be just over 2 hours. Other flights to Hawaii could include Sydney in 4 hours and Tokyo in 3 hours.
The fascinating renaissance of Hawaii supersonic flights.
Back in 1986, Air France and British Airways flew the Concorde on charter flights to Honolulu. Then for two years, in 1995-96, the six Concorde flights landed at Kona on a worldwide itinerary. Four were operated by Air France and two by British Airways. Kona was the first stop after the US Mainland. The Concorde then flew to Queenstown (NZ), Sydney, Beijing, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Kenya, and London. The cost back then was a whopping $52,800 per person. That’s roughly the equivalent of $105,000 today.
That aircraft, which, compared with Overture, operated at a higher speed of Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound), attained full performance some 20 minutes after takeoff. Overture’s maximum speed is Mach 1.7.
I wish TWA can come back for the flight from STL to HNL. Because of cheaper and comfort. I think SST should be cheaper, too.
Things that we take for granted were at one time only the purview of the rich. Cars, trips to Hawaii, jet travel, etc, now all these things and more are available to even those of modest means. Time will tell if this will join those too.
I remember that Boeing aircraft in the late sixties was making passenger supersonic planes at the same time the Concord was coming out if it wasn’t the canceled we the U S aircraft companies would be flying all over the place I think it’s the right time for us to have our own supersonic passenger planes
I find it hysterical that Anyone, much less the author of this story, would believe these would ever run to Hawaiʻi.
I got a good laugh as well. They don’t have an engine or an airframe. They are building a production facility. Don’t expect anything except investors money to fly away from Boom in 6 years.
Sadly it will be cost prohibitive for many to purchase tickets. It’s been too long in the making for these planes to be a viable option for air travel and will be Embraced by everyone that can afford the price. The Concorde should have been replaced much sooner. The “Downside” will be the same, Environmentalists shall Scream over the destruction caused by the Supersonic Boom, possibly a Tiny Tree Frog fell to the ground upon hearing the egregious Boom and then was eaten 😳 I hope that these types of planes will be around for decades, improving itself as we move forward.
If BoH’s guess is correct, the cost of tickets will be dirt cheap in comparison to the Concorde. A $5k ticket will be much more accessible than the Concorde’s $100k ticket.
Hi DB.
Just to clarify, that 100k was for an all inclusive tour rather than just a flight.
Aloha.
Sadly hilarious. What exactly is “sustainable” jet fuel anyway? The amount of greenwashing that Boom is attempting to hoodwink us with is truly breathtaking. Unless these engines produce no exhaust (which is impossible) there will clearly be emissions added to the atmosphere, and quite a lot. All in the name of reducing an already quick flight over the ocean by a few hours. Read about the impact that this will have (if the company even succeeds in building a single plane) on the ozone layer. Humanity truly is a doomed species.
Spot on Eldo! Our Military has been touting the same fuel for the Entire Fleet of Aircraft as well as converting everything from Tanks to any type of vehicle. Did some people at the DoD watch too much Science Fiction Fantasy growing up? All that I see so far is the Renaming of a different blend of fuel and the PR that makes it “Acceptable” to the climatologists. If this were totally Real I would have expected the Oil Futures and Options Markets to be adversely reacting to it. OPEC would be in a Quandry. None of This is Apparent.
Ernie, you sound like an astute businessman. I think that you’d be interested in purchasing a high speed hydrofoil ferry boat. Lightly used, very “renewable,” competitively priced. Contact ex Governor Linda Lingle for a test ride and more information. Mahalo!
Eldo the Hydrofoil is possibly something for me to “look into” but just to see what the scrap price is. I worry about her giving me a ride, I am a Happily Married Man that is in a Committed, Loving Relationship. Thanks for the Tip! Always Great to hear from you.