American Airlines Orders 20 Boom Supersonic Jets

(RTTNews) - American Airlines announced an agreement to purchase up to 20 Overture supersonic jets, the world's fastest airliner, from transportation start-up Boom Supersonic, with an option for an additional 40.

Overture, which is expected to carry passengers at twice the speed of the fastest commercial aircraft available at present, would provide an important new speed advantage to American's fleet.

The company said it has paid a non-refundable deposit on the initial 20 aircraft, but further financial details were not disclosed.

In a tweet, American Airlines said, "Miami ?? London in less than 5hrs? LA ?? Honolulu in 3hrs? Wouldn't that be SUPER? We're here for it and so is @BoomAero. Learn about our partnership with #BoomSupersonic and the #Overture expected to fly 2x the speed of today's fastest commercial jets."

Under the deal terms, Boom must meet industry-standard operating, performance and safety requirements as well as American's other customary conditions before delivery of any Overtures.

Overture, which is optimized for speed, safety, and sustainability, is designed to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel or SAF.

Overture is being designed to carry 65 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 over water, or twice the speed of current fastest commercial aircraft, with a range of 4,250 nautical miles. The airliner is also being designed to fly more than 600 routes around the world in as little as half the time.

Boom is working with Northrop Grumman for government and defense applications. For the Overture program, Boom's suppliers and partners include Collins Aerospace, Eaton, Rolls-Royce, the United States Air Force, American Express, and AWS, among others.

In January, Boom had revealed plans to build a manufacturing facility at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina. The Overture Superfactory would employ around 1,750 workers by 2030.

Boom in July revealed the final production design of Overture, which is scheduled to roll out in 2025 and carry its first passengers by 2029.

Currently, Overture's order book stands at 130 aircraft, including purchases and options from American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines.

In 2021, United Airlines announced that it would purchase 15 Overture jets once the plane met its safety and operating requirements. The agreement includes an option for United to buy an additional 35 aircraft, for a total of 50 jets.