Huge leaps are being made in air travel at the moment. Earlier this week, we covered news of a potential new direct flight service between London and Sydney, which would become the world’s longest flight (we’re talking 19+ hours, here). However, efforts to make flying a whole lot faster are being made, too.
Introducing ‘Overture’, the first supersonic passenger jet to be built since the Concorde, which is being developed by Colorado-based company Boom Supersonic.
After successful tests of a scaled-down model (cutely dubbed Baby Boom) last week where it reached a top speed of 283 mph, developers described it as a ‘milestone’ in the development of the full-scale aircraft, according to The European.
In theory, Overture will travel at twice the speed of your classic, subsonic planes at around 1,050 mph, which will halve the travel time between New York and London to three and a half hours, and London to Miami to just under five hours.
Boom Supersonic says there are around 600 profitable routes that the aircraft could take, though due to supersonic flight regulations, those would have to be over water and not land. However, that hasn’t stopped United, American Airlines and Japan Airlines locking-in deals for Overture planes.
So, when could we see these babies in the sky? Well, that’s probably not gonna happen until 2030 at the earliest, but keep an eye on this page for all the latest information.
Why did they stop flying the Concorde?
Several factors contributed to the suspension of Concorde operations (with the final flight taking place on November 26, 2003), including high running costs, environmental concerns, noise pollution and the sonic boom (if flying near residential areas, Concorde could shatter windows – really not ideal).
Most notably, though, commercial operations never recovered after a Concorde jet crashed back in July 2000. One of its engines caught fire just two minutes after taking off from Paris’s Charles de Gaulles Airport, killing all 109 people on board, as well as four others on the ground. This, paired with the decline in international travel after 9/11, were major contributors to the aircraft’s suspension.
How long did it take the Concorde to fly from New York to London?
The fastest ever flight between London and New York took place on February 7, 1996 when Concorde took a mere two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds to cross the Atlantic. The jet’s top speed was an eye-wateringly fast 1,354 mph.
Speed ain’t cheap, though. According to Smithsonian Magazine, a ticket from New York to London on the British Airways Concorde in 1996 cost a staggering $12,460, which, with inflation, equates to around $25,086 (£19,800) today.
Did you see that the biggest travel trends for 2025 have been revealed?
Plus: You could soon travel across Europe with a single train ticket.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.