Boom Supersonic Aims for Net-Zero Carbon by 2025

Boom Supersonic is committed to achieving supersonic flight in a sustainable manner, anticipating the launch of its Overture airliner by the end of the decade.

“We believe that sustainability is essential to the future of supersonic flight and travel overall,” said Boom President Kathy Savitt. “Our environmental sustainability priorities stem from an ambitious but achievable commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2025 – an approach rooted in driving systemic change. These efforts have helped Boom to achieve carbon neutrality beginning in 2021.”

Boom’s Overture is designed to reduce emissions and will be manufactured using renewable energy from production through flight and end-of-life recycling. The aircraft also is designed to run on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In fact, Boom is a champion of SAF, partnering with industry leaders AIR COMPANY and Dimensional Energy to secure 10 million gallons annually for its net-zero carbon flight test program.

While Boom is currently focused on airline travel, with an order book of 130 orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines, Savitt sees the potential impact of the company’s innovative supersonic initiatives on the business aviation sector with dramatic time savings. Supersonic flight cuts travel times in half over water and even decreases time over land by 20% compared to today’s subsonic aircraft. Boom projects meaningful speed-ups on routes, such as New York to Paris in under four hours and Tokyo to Vancouver in four and a half hours.

“For the business aviation community, time is the ultimate resource and Overture is the differentiator that unlocks it. Supersonic [flight] has the potential to transform how we live and work when distance is no longer a barrier,” Savitt explained.

Public buy-in is a key to Boom’s success and to the success of supersonic air travel overall. Most people have only the Concorde, with its high costs and minimal commercial success, as an example of supersonic civilian aircraft.

“Developed in the 1960s, Concorde was a technological marvel and we stand on her shoulders as we progress towards a supersonic future. However, Concorde was never built for sustainability, either economically or environmentally,” said Savitt.

Savitt is optimistic about Boom’s future, saying the company has, from the beginning, prioritized sustainability, scalability and economic viability. Overture meets ICAO Annex 16 Chapter 14 noise certification requirements and leverages 50 years of technology advancements to deliver optimal performance and profitability for operators.