United Airlines to acquire 15 supersonic jets from start-up planemaker Boom

United Airlines announced it’s buying 15 yet-to-be-built ultrafast planes from Boom Supersonic that would cut some flight times in half with the option to purchase 35 more at some point.

Boom is building a plane that could fly at Mach 1.7 and cut some flight times in half.

That means a flight from New York to London that typically lasts seven hours would only take 3½ hours.

Boom's first commercial supersonic jet, the Overture, has not been built or certified and is targeting 2029 as the start of its passenger service.

But landing an order with a legacy airline validates founder and CEO Blake Scholl's vision of bringing back supersonic flights.

Founded in 2014, Denver-based Boom Supersonic has raised $270 million in capital and has grown to 150 employees.

For United, ordering Boom supersonic jets fits with the strategy CEO Scott Kirby has outlined since taking the helm a year ago.

Kirby described Boom’s vision as giving business and leisure travelers access to a stellar flight experience.

Boom’s plan to use engines running on sustainable aviation fuel also appealed to United.

Still, it remains to be seen whether Boom’s plan to bring back supersonic commercial airplanes will get off the ground.

If Boom's first flight slated later this year with a demonstrator jet dubbed the XB-1 goes as planned, it will begin producing the Overture in 2023 and conduct its first flight in 2026.