_edited.png)
Today, it would take you seven hours to fly directly from London to New York. From 1970-2003, it would take you just three hours for this same journey, but in the world’s first supersonic commercial aircraft, Concorde.
Concorde took its first flight in march 1969, and it made its first transatlantic crossing in 1973. It was known for travelling twice the speed of sound, making it the quickest way to travel long distances. However, it had its problems. On the 25th of July 2000, Concorde was involved in a fatal accident shortly after taking off at Paris, killing all 109 people onboard, and four on the ground. However, it was found after investigation that Air France’s Concorde was not at fault, but it was instead a piece of debris on the runway from a previous flight that punctured a tire, which then damaged a fuel tank. However, this was not the accident that ended Concorde. It continued to operate until 2003, but it was retired as it was incredibly noisy, and extremely expensive to operate, leading to high ticket prices. It is believed that this and Air France flight 4590 accelerated the downfall of the Concorde. All airlines retired it, but you can still find a few on display around the world, for example at Heathrow airport there is a British Airways Concorde on display.
In 2016, a company called Boom Technology began development for a brand new aircraft, called the Boom Overture. It was planned to bring back supersonic travel, but much cheaper, efficient and more environmentally friendly. It was first planned to be introduced in 2023, but delays caused by Covid pushed back the first flight to 2026, and its official introduction in 2029. By 2023, it has already received orders from United Airlines and American Airlines. It is not expected to be louder than commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 777, while still travelling at supersonic speed, Mach 1.7. It is for sure a risky move bringing supersonic travel into the market, but it could be a huge success if done right.
Comentarios