Plans for 2,000 supersonic jets to connect hundreds of cities across the globe

A fleet of 2,000 supersonic aircraft serving hundreds of destinations around the world in a matter of hours is a feasible goal, according to the brain behind a project to revive the Concorde era .

Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, says his company will be able to make supersonic air transport financially viable and affordable for the public, with one-way fares from London to New York starting at £ 2,000, about the same price as a business class ticket today.

Boom Supersonic is part of a handful of companies that are trying to revive the commercial prospects of planes capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound, which has not been seen since the Concorde disappeared in 2003.

has developed prototypes of a 55-seater aircraft that will have a cruising speed of 1451 mph, 100 mph faster than the Concorde, and hopes to begin passenger flights from the United States. here 2025.

"We are focusing on accelerating long ocean voyages, we want to bring down the economy of the plane so that anyone flying can fly fast," said Scholl, who previously worked at Amazon, at the Farnborough Airshow Independent

"This is not a private jet for the ultra-rich flight."

He said that he planned having 2000 planes visiting 500 destinations around the world. For the context, it is estimated today to 23 600 the number of aircraft in service in the world, but only two models have more than 2 000: the Boeing 737, driven by Ryanair, and the 39. Airbus A320, true to the fleet EasyJet. Japan Airlines and two unidentified carriers have already expressed interest in acquiring the first Boom planes.

In addition to the economy of supersonic aircraft, automakers and airlines face the challenges of environmental regulation, in terms of fuel consumption and noise limits Supersonic jets create a strong "boom" when they penetrate the wall of sound, which has been known to shake structures on the floor. The impact on residential areas means that supersonic aircraft could be able to fly faster than Mach One – the speed of sound – over the world's oceans.

"Supersonic jets do not need to be noisier than other jets, Concorde was the technology of the 1960s," Scholl said. "Concorde was a gasoline consumer and since then there has been tremendous progress in the design and materials of the engines."

He stated that the planes would not be a step backward, comparing fuel consumption per passenger to business class today. planes can be in the air in front of rivals. Test flights in California could be held as of the end of the year, while he has already participated in more than 1,000 wind tunnel tests

In 2016, Sir Richard Branson said he was delighted to support the Boom project

"I have long been passionate about aerospace innovation and the development of commercial high-speed flights," he said. he declares. At the same time, Scholl said that supersonic air travel would no longer be a "list buy" and that "gradually, it would become available to everyone."

Scholl told the BBC earlier this year that a round trip Atlantic could cost $ 5,000, "still expensive compared to the economy – but if you can afford to stealing premium you can afford to get there in half the time. "

Boom's rivals include Spike Aerospace, NASA in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and Airbus Last month, Boeing, the American rival of Airbus, unveiled a vision of the future in the form of airspace. a "hypersonic" aircraft capable of flying at Mach 5 or above (a speed of about 3,900 miles). per hour) – an upgrade on Concorde, which had a maximum capacity of Mach 2.04 (pushing 1,354 miles per hour at full throttle).

The Chicago-based aviation giant used the platform of the prestigious annual conference of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Atlanta, Georgia, to unveil an image of what a & dquo; He described it as the "first concept of hypersonic vehicle carrying passengers".

If such an aircraft were to be designed according to Mach 5 specifications, it could zoom between London and New York in just one hour (rather than the current seven standard).