Boom to offer supersonic speed at business class fare

Dubai - Unlike Concorde, flying Boom is affordable - the same price as business class.

A startup plans to build the fastest passenger airplane ever - faster than Concorde but with fares a quarter of the price.
The Boom airplane, being developed by a Colorado company, would travel at Mach 2.2 - more than twice the speed of sound and 2.6 times faster than any other airliner - and fly from New York to London in just 3.4 hours. This means a saving of 3.6 hours compared to the seven hours for a Concorde flight on the same route, according to the company
Similarly, a businessman can leave San Francisco mid-morning, have five hours of morning meetings in Tokyo and be home before midnight. And those travelling to Sydney can leave Los Angeles at 7.00am, enjoy an operetta in the city and be back before midnight.
Today, international travel means jet-lag and days of lost productivity and family time. But imagine leaving New York in the morning, making afternoon meetings in London, and being home to tuck your kids into bed. This isn't science fiction - it's possible now with today's aerodynamics, carbon fibre composites, and the latest engine technology.
Unlike Concorde, flying Boom is affordable - the same price as business class. The New York-London round trip will cost $5,000, an affordable amount for the business elite. At the company's hangar in Denver, engineers are combining jet engines and carbon fibre, advanced design software and wind tunnel tests.
According to CNN, the supersonic plane has roused the interest of British entrepreneur Richard Branson: On Wednesday his Virgin Group optioned 10 planes. The deal, if it's followed through, could be worth a reported $2 billion.
Boom has also optioned 15 additional planes to an unnamed European carrier, the firm told TechCrunch, racking up a potential income of $5 billion.
The company is building a prototype now - and will fly late next year. First test flights will occur at Centennial Airport, with supersonic testing near Edwards Air Force Base in California.
The company has made key contributions to 30 new aircraft and conducted test flights to Mach 3. They have taken passenger jets from the drawing board through FAA certification and has engineers, pilots, and hands-on builders. Just south of Denver at Centennial Airport, the company have over 10,000 square feet of office and light manufacturing space, where it is making supersonic flight a reality.
Boom was founded on the philosophy that the challenges to supersonic passenger flight needed to be overcome.
Founder and CEO Blake Scholl is a pilot and technology entrepreneur. He previously built marketing automation at Amazon and founded mobile technology startup Kima Labs, which was later acquired by Groupon. According to CNN he has recruited former employees of Nasa, Boeing and Lockheed, while US astronaut Mark Kelly is an adviser.
-business@khaleejtimes.com