Flight times from London to New York could be slashed to just 3 hours 15 minutes by 2025, thanks to a $10 million (£7.45 million) investment from Japan Airlines.
Boom Supersonic is developing a 55-seat passenger plane that it says will halve flight times and will be faster, quieter and more affordable to fly than Concorde.
As part of the deal Japan’s number two carrier has the option to purchase up to 20 Boom aircraft and will provide its knowledge and experience as an airline to hone the aircraft design and help refine the passenger experience.
Boom Supersonic has said its jetliner, expected to enter service by the mid 2020s, will fly at speeds of Mach 2.2, 10 per cent faster than Concorde, which popularised supersonic jet travel in the 1970s.
The aircraft is expected to produce a sonic boom that would be at least 30 times quieter than Concorde’s, which was dogged by high operating costs and fuel consumption and low capacity utilisation.
The Denver-based startup estimates that fares for its aircraft would be 75 per cent lower than Concorde’s and comparable to current business class tickets, due to its better fuel efficiency.
In a written statement, Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, said: ‘We’ve been working with Japan Airlines (JAL) behind the scenes for over a year now.
‘JAL’s passionate, visionary team offers decades of practical knowledge and wisdom on everything from the passenger experience to technical operations.
‘We’re thrilled to be working with JAL to develop a reliable, easily-maintained aircraft that will provide revolutionary speed to passengers.
‘Our goal is to develop an airliner that will be a great addition to any international airline’s fleet.’
Boom, whose suppliers include General Electric Co, Boeing, Honeywell International Inc and Netherlands-based TenCate Advanced Composites, has reportedly received 76 pre-orders from airlines, excluding the option of up to 20 aircraft from Japan Airlines.
As of March 2017, the firm had raised about $41 million (£30.5 million) in funding.
Yoshiharu Ueki, president of Japan Airlines, added: ‘Through this partnership, we hope to contribute to the future of supersonic travel with the intent of providing more “time” to our valued passengers while emphasising flight safety.’
The firm has previously revealed that initial test flights for its 1,451mph (2,330kph) aircraft, nicknamed ‘Baby Boom’, will begin by the end of 2018.
And in November, Mr Scholl revealed that commercial flights on the full-sized, 55-seater aircraft which is ‘better than Concorde’, could begin running by 2025.
The full-size boom aircraft is expected to reach speeds of more than 1,687mph – 100mph faster than the infamous Concorde.
Mr Scholl was speaking at the Dubai Airshow, when he revealed the latest details about the Boom Supersonic aircraft.
He said: ‘Think about for a moment the families that are separated because of the long flights.
