Supersonic aircraft are time machines. From 1976-2003 you could board Concorde at 10:30am in London and land in New York at 9am local time, effectively arriving before you left, enjoying 3 hours at mach 2 supercruise. Concorde came with impressive numbers: 60,000 feet, 1,350mph, $6,000 for a one way ticket1. However, unsustainable operating costs eventually drew the curtains on the mach 2 era, with Concorde’s final commercial flight touching down in London on October 23rd 2003.

This weekend signalled a new era for supersonic travel. On the morning of March 22nd 2024, Boom Supersonic took to the skies with their XB-1 demonstrator2.

The flight marks a significant milestone in the development of their supersonic production aircraft: the Overture. Promised by 2029, the airliner will cruise at mach 1.7 on Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Insurance implications of new supersonic scheduled operations are likely to be related to velocity, airspace, operational environments and noise concerns. Insurers can gain early insights by keeping a close eye on the development programme.

1 A round trip from London to New York with British Airways cost approx $12,500 adjusted for inflation. CN Traveller

2 Boom Supersonic Announces Successful Flight of XB-1 Demonstrator Aircraft

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