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Supersonic passenger jets could be flying by 2029
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Supersonic Jets - Level 0
There could be supersonic passenger planes in eight years. Supersonic means flying faster than the speed of sound. The business class planes will have a top speed of 2,100kph. Most modern planes fly at around 1,000kph. The new planes will almost cut in half the flying time from London to New York.
The new airplanes will be the first supersonic jets to fly passengers since 2003. The cost of the tickets will be about the same as today's business class. Supersonic travel 20 years ago cost over 20 times more than economy class tickets. Only the super-rich could fly. The new planes will use less fuel. They will also be net-zero carbon.
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Supersonic Jets - Level 1
There could be supersonic passenger planes this decade. Supersonic means faster than the speed of sound, which is 1,234kph. United Airlines will buy 15 supersonic jets. The planes will fly up to 88 business class passengers and have a top speed of 2,099kph. Most modern airplanes fly at around 1,000kph. The new planes will cut the time it takes to fly from London to New York from around 7 1/2 hours to less than four hours.
The United Airlines jets will be the first supersonic jets to make commercial flights since 2003. The cost of the tickets will be about the same as regular business class tickets. Previously, supersonic travel cost over 20 times more than economy class. Only the super-rich could fly. The new planes will use less fuel and will be net-zero carbon. The cost of each airplane is around $200 million. Boom already has around $6 billion in orders.
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Supersonic Jets - Level 2
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Supersonic passenger planes could be in the skies this decade. Supersonic means faster than the speed of sound, which is 1,234.8kph. United Airlines plans to buy 15 supersonic jets from a company called Boom Supersonic. The planes will fly up to 88 passengers, all in business class. The planes will have a top speed of 2,099kph. Most modern airplanes have a cruising speed of around 1,000kph. The new planes will cut the time it takes to fly from London to New York. It will take less than four hours. It currently takes around 7 1/2 hours.
The jets ordered by United Airlines will be the first supersonic jets to make commercial flights since 2003. The cost of the supersonic tickets will be about the same as regular business class tickets. Previously, the cost of a ticket on a supersonic airliner was over 20 times higher than economy class tickets. Only the super-rich could afford one. The new planes will be more fuel-efficient and profitable. Flights will be net-zero carbon and use sustainable fuel. The cost of each airplane is approximately $200 million. Boom already has around $6 billion in orders.
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Supersonic Jets - Level 3
Supersonic passenger planes could return to the skies before the end of this decade. Supersonic means faster than the speed of sound. The speed of sound is Mach 1, which is 1,234.8kph. The US carrier United Airlines has plans to buy 15 supersonic jets from a company called Boom Supersonic. The planes will fly up to 88 passengers in an all-business class service. They will fly at a top speed of Mach 1.7. This is 2,099kph. Most modern passenger jets have a cruising speed of just over 1,000kph. The new planes could greatly cut the time it takes to fly around the world. Passengers could fly from London to New York in under four hours. It currently takes around 7 1/2 hours to do that journey.
The jets ordered by United Airlines are called Overture. They will be the first supersonic jets to make commercial flights since Concorde stopped operating in 2003. Concorde was jointly operated by British Airways and Air France. The cost of Overture tickets will be roughly the same as regular business class tickets. The price of a Concorde ticket was over 20 times higher than economy class tickets, which meant only the super-rich could afford one. Boom's CEO said Overture will have much better fuel efficiency and profitability than Concorde. Flights will be net-zero carbon and will use sustainable aviation fuel. The cost of each Overture airplane is approximately $200 million. Boom already has around $6 billion in orders.
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