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Two decades after Concorde was retired, supersonic air travel looks set to happen once again - and it would reduce flight times to and from the UK and America by nearly four hours. A firm is working on a new aircraft which could travel from New York to London in just three hours and 40 minutes. What's more, this development could be on the cards in just four years time by 2029. Concorde was grounded and finally retired in 2003, and in June 2025 the United States cleared a piece of legislation which lifted a decades-old ban on this type of air travel over land. The new aircraft being developed is called the Overture by Boom Supersonic and is reportedly already in testing, reports The Express. When completed, it would be able to travel at Mach 1.7 over land and twice as fast over water. Several airlines, including United Airlines and Japan Airlines are said to have placed orders of Overture to add to their fleets. The planes can hold 60 to 80 passengers and are said to be able to cruise much higher than standard jets, which can reach 60,000ft. While the original Concorde was noisy, new supersonic planes will have more modern noise-reduction technology fitted. Denver-based aviation company Boom are producing Overture aircraft and US airline United has announced it will purchase 15 supersonic airliners and "return supersonic speeds to aviation". The plane will have a minimum of 600 routes, according to Boom. Speaking on supersonic flights, Nicholas Smith, Holidays Digital Director at Thomas Cook and eSky online travel agency, told Express.co.uk : “While it's thrilling to imagine this aviation icon back in the skies, it’s unlikely to appeal to the average holidaymaker from the UK jetting off to Benidorm for a week in the sun. “We see the future of mainstream air travel heading towards larger, more efficient aircraft designed to carry more people, not fewer. “That said, a modern relaunch focused on sustainability, digital innovation, and safety could carve out a niche for high-end, short-haul luxury routes - such as London to New York in under four hours. "It’s not a mass-market solution, but for time-sensitive premium travellers, it could once again become the pinnacle of prestige flying.” Journey times on routes such as London to New York or Los Angeles to Washington could be reduced to just two hours—a considerable drop from the current six to seven hours. Concorde first took to the skies in 1976 with cruising speeds of over Mach 2. According to The Museum of Flight, Britain and France wanted air travel that went faster than the speed of sound during the Cold War. The two countries worked together sharing the costs of producing the iconic aircraft. Concorde was involved in a serious accident in July 2000 where debris blew a tyre and punctured one of the wheels. The resulting fire and engine failure caused Air France Flight4590 to crash into a nearby hotel killing 113 people in total.
