Japan Airlines is investing $10 million into Boom Aircraft, the Denver-based startup promising to bring back supersonic air travel. The deal includes options for 20 aircraft. “We’ve been working with Japan Airlines behind the scenes for over a year now,” said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. “JAL’s passionate, visionary team offers decades of practical knowledge and wisdom on everything from the passenger experience to technical operations. We’re thrilled to be working with JAL to develop a reliable, easily maintained aircraft that will provide revolutionary speed to passengers. Our goal is to develop an airliner that will be a great addition to any international airline’s fleet.”
The Boom passenger jet, according to the company’s target specs, will fly for 4,500 NM between refueling stops—just enough to carry 55 passengers on the 4,452-NM trip from Tokyo Narita International to San Francisco International at Mach 2.2. “We are very proud to be working with Boom on the advancement in the commercial aviation industry. Through this partnership, we hope to contribute to the future of supersonic travel with the intent of providing more time to our valued passengers while emphasizing flight safety,” said Yoshiharu Ueki, president of Japan Airlines. Boom hopes to fly its one-third scale technical demonstrator next year at subsonic speeds before moving into supersonic testing on the Edwards Air Force Base test range.
