An icon of British and French engineering, the first commercial Concorde flight took off 50 years ago on 21 January 1976. But more than two decades after the famous jet touched down for the last time, are supersonic aircraft making a return above the Atlantic?
Capable of flying between New York and London in three-and-a-half hours, Concorde could travel at 1,354 miles (2,179 km) per hour — more than twice the speed of sound. The jet has come to epitomise both technological prowess and luxury, with tickets for a one-way flight in 1976 costing an eye-watering US$2,800 in today’s money.
An executive order from President Donald Trump has lifted the ban on commercial supersonic planes flying over US land, potentially opening a door for a greater number of routes. Meanwhile, companies are developing new premium supersonic commercial jets with modern technology to make them more energy-efficient. Could these twin developments pave the way for supersonic flight taking off again in the next five years?
The heirs to Concorde
Based in Colorado, Boom Supersonic are one developer hoping to revive the age of Concorde. Its Overture jet features an all-premium cabin that could host 60-80 passengers in a swish business-style experience. Compatible with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), Boom claim the aircraft can reach speeds of Mach 1.7 and serve more than 600 global routes. A number of airlines have already placed pre-orders for Overture, including American Airlines, Japan Airlines, and United Airlines.
Overland civil supersonic flights had been banned in the US since 1973 due to concerns over the noise from sonic booms, as well as potential damage to property and people. However, Trump lifted this ban in June 2025, with the White House claiming in a press release:
Advances in aerospace engineering, materials science, and noise reduction now make supersonic flight not just possible, but safe, sustainable, and commercially viable. This order begins a historic national effort to reestablish the United States as the undisputed leader in high-speed aviation.
This executive order opens up the West Coast of the US to supersonic travel. But despite the White House’s claims, is the world ready to embrace Concorde-style travel once more?
Why was Concorde discontinued in the first place?
For all its technological achievements, Concorde faced a number of problems that ultimately contributed to it being retired from service in 2003. To reach its incredibly high speeds, the aircraft needed to consume 6,771 gallons of expensive jet fuel in a single transatlantic flight, making it difficult to run at a profit. Restrictions on overland travel further inhibit revenue, ultimately limiting Concorde deployment to routes between New York, Washington DC, London, and Paris.
Concorde’s environmental impact made it unpopular with the public. Sonic booms resulted in noise complaints, and residents reported windows being broken when the planes flew overhead. Additionally, Concorde was extremely carbon-intensive, producing three times more CO2 than subsonic planes and leaving visible air pollution in its wake.
Concorde’s decline was further accelerated by the Air France Concorde crash in 2000 that killed over 100 people, and the drop in air travel following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But the aircraft’s ultimate failure lay with its unprofitability and environmentally-unfriendly technology.
Would a modern Concorde face the same problems?
Sustainability remains a huge question for the new supersonic jets. Boom Supersonic claim Overture is ‘SAF-compatible’. However, the sustainable fuels market is nowhere near ready to supply subsonic aircraft, let alone the supersonic, on the scale required. As it stands, there can be no justification for launching a jet that could have triple the carbon impact of a regular plane in an industry already struggling to meet net-zero targets.
Furthermore, experts have questioned whether there is sufficient demand for a modern Concorde. Business jets are more popular than ever, and wealthier customers may prefer to avoid commercial aircraft, no matter how fast they fly, when they could travel privately on their own schedule.
In its heyday, one of Concorde’s key benefits was to help business travellers get across continents in as little time as possible. Many meetings are now hosted online through Zoom or Teams, reducing the need for travel. And at the same time, more airlines are investing in high-speed inflight WiFi through Starlink, meaning work can continue even at 30,000 feet in the sky. Is the length of the flight so important now that the customer experience has improved significantly through better connectivity, entertainment, and comfort?
Blake Scholl, CEO of Boom Supersonic, remains confident. He told The Independent in 2025:
We believe in a world where more people can go to more places more often. Sustainable supersonic travel unlocks new possibilities for business relationships, prospects for vacation and opportunities for human connection.
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