Supersonic flight returns to the United States after a half-century ban

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The Trump administration took a major step in replacing a five-decade-old ban on supersonic flights over the United States, saying technological advances now make it possible to fly faster than the speed of sound without the devastating boom.

A 2016 photo of Blake Scholl and Joe Wilding, two of Boom Supersonic’s three co-founders, standing in front of an early model in the company’s hangar in Centennial, Colorado. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson)

Denver Post via Getty ImagesKey Facts

The Department of Transportation intends to replace the ban on supersonic land flights with a noise limit, allowing planes to fly faster than Mach 1 over land as long as the resulting noise remains below a set level, according to a notice published Tuesday by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the Federal Register.

This follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in June 2025 directing the FAA to repeal its “ban on land-based supersonic flights… establish an interim noise-based certification standard… and remove additional regulatory barriers that impede the advancement of supersonic aviation technology in the United States.”

Since 1973, the FAA has prohibited civil aircraft from exceeding Mach 1 over American lands to avoid disruptive sonic booms.

The FAA hopes to finalize both rules by mid-2027, according to the notice.

Crucial quote

Technological advances will “eliminate the old sonic boom,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. “This means we can ultimately repeal the 1970s ban on supersonic flights over the United States while minimizing noise impacts on residents in communities along the route and near airports.”

Why were planes banned from supersonic speed when flying over land?

The main reason was public opposition to loud sonic booms. In the 1960s, a plane flying faster than the speed of sound (about 1,000 km/h at high altitude) created shock waves that traveled to the ground and reached human ears in the form of a loud gunshot-like crack or thunder-like boom. Tests during that decade, including sonic boom experiments in Oklahoma City, found that repeated booms broke windows, damaged property and generated thousands of complaints from the public. In its 1973 decision, the FAA stated that due to limitations in technology at the time, “a ban was necessary to protect the public from the supersonic boom…by preventing the operation of a civil aircraft at an actual flight Mach number greater than 1.” Several years later, Air France and British Airways introduced the Concorde and were allowed to serve New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on the condition that flights remained subsonic over American land. In particular, “the prestigious London-New York service was the only truly profitable one”. [Concorde] route, supported by high-profile business and celebrity travel,” a former British Airways network planner wrote for Forbes in 2021.

Which companies are developing supersonic aircraft today?

Several U.S. companies are working on a new generation of luxury supersonic passenger planes with much quieter sonic booms and improved fuel efficiency. In particular, Colorado-headquartered Boom Supersonic says it has pre-orders from United Airlines, American Airlines and Japan Airlines for its Overture jets, which will carry 60 to 80 passengers. Atlanta-based Spike Aerospace is developing smaller Diplomat jets that can seat up to 18 passengers. Both companies’ websites tout future transatlantic flights in less than four hours.

Further reading

Trump allows US to conduct supersonic flights, ending more than 50-year ban (Forbes)

What’s it like to fly supersonic in 7 different planes (Forbes)

Is the era of Concorde and supersonic flight returning? (Forbes)

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