United wants to revive supersonic aviation with Boom Supersonic deal

United Airlines has signed a deal with Denver-based start-up Boom Supersonic with which it aims to revive the era of supersonic commercial aviation nearly 20 years after it ended with Concorde's retirement.

The US carrier has made an order from Boom for 15 aircraft able to fly faster than the speed of sound with the aim of beginning commercial flights by 2029.

The agreement is still conditional on "safety, operating and sustainability requirements," United said.

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The so-called Overture aircraft, if developed successfully, will be able to fly at Mach 1.7 - 1.7 times the speed of sound - cutting flight times by as much as half. A trip from San Francisco to Tokyo could be made in just six hours.

The two companies say that Overture will also have a 65 to 88 passenger capacity and a range of 4,250 nautical miles, as well as the capability to use sustainable aviation fuel.

United aims for the first flight to be made in 2026 with passengers coming on board in 2029. The deal also allows for the option to purchase a further 35 aircraft.

Full terms of the agreement were not disclosed, though it is being seen as a vote of confidence in Boom, which was set up in 2014 and raised more than $270 million (€221.6 million) in investment.

While the company has yet to build an aircraft that has flown, it says that the XB-1 - a prototype aircraft - will fly later this year or early 2022.

Several challenges still face the start-up such as securing Federal Aviation Administration approval in the US.

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Boom says it is aiming for Overture to be "75% less expensive than Concorde for airlines to operate and profitable for airlines at fares similar to business class."

Supersonic commercial flights ended in 2003 when Concorde was retired. 

In July 2000, a Concorde caught fire not long after taking off from Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, killing 113 people and leading to the planes being grounded for nearly a year.

The final straw for supersonic aviation came the following year with the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and the ensuing slump in passenger travel leading Air France and British Airways to close it down.

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