According to the press release, American Airlines has made a non-refundable deposit for 20 Boom supersonic aircraft with the possibility of adding 40 more. At the same time, the aircraft is still under development.

American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, has made a commitment to purchase 20 supersonic aircraft from a manufacturer in Colorado, USA. Its design is still in the testing phase, the airline said in a press release.

Last month, Boom Supersonic unveiled the Overture, which is very similar to the small Concorde. As a reminder, it is a British-French supersonic passenger plane, one of two models of civil supersonic aircraft with a range of up to 10,000 kilometers in commercial service.

The Overture will carry only 80 passengers. The manufacturer deliberately sacrificed the size of the aircraft to make it quieter and more efficient. This feature will allow the aircraft to be operated even over populated areas.

The sonic boom when the Overture goes beyond the speed of sound is expected to be quieter than the Concorde. Given the limitations, it will likely fly at no more than Mach 1 above the ground, which is 340 m/s, or 1,224 km/h.

However, over water, the aircraft will be able to accelerate to Mach 1.7 (about 1,805 km/h). This is twice the speed of the fastest commercial aircraft. The range will be 4,250 nautical miles (7,871 km). Overture is also designed to fly on more than 600 routes around the world. For example, it will fly from Miami to London in less than five hours and from Los Angeles to Honolulu in three hours.

Overture will be equipped with four smaller engines than originally planned. Automated noise reduction system and absence of afterburners will help to reduce noise, i.e. the plane should not be louder than usual.