The Supersonic Era Is Back—What US Flights Might Look Like With New Jet
Summary
New supersonic planes being developed could cut flying times significantly on domestic U.S. and international routes. President Donald Trump has pushed to update old rules that ban supersonic flights over land by focusing on noise limits instead of speed, which may allow these faster jets to operate more widely.Key Facts
- NASA’s experimental X-59 aircraft aims to fly at about Mach 1.4, roughly 1.6 to 1.8 times faster than current passenger planes.
- Flights like New York to Los Angeles could shrink from 5.5 hours to just over 3 hours.
- Transatlantic flights, for example New York to London, could drop from about 7 hours to 4 hours.
- The longest routes, such as Los Angeles to Sydney, may be cut by as much as 6 hours.
- Since 1973, U.S. rules have banned civilian planes flying faster than sound over land due to sonic boom noise.
- President Trump issued a June 2025 executive order encouraging regulators to replace the ban with noise-based limits.
- The FAA began proposing changes in mid-2026 to update these regulations because of advances in technology.
- The Concorde was the only successful supersonic passenger jet in the past, but it stopped service due to noise, cost, and safety issues.
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