The US may once again allow commercial supersonic flights

For 52 years now, there has been a ban on commercial supersonic flights in the United States. However, a new act by the Federal Aviation Administration could change the current situation as early as 2027. It is quite possible that passengers will be able to travel from New York to Los Angeles in just 3.5 hours.

Supersonic flight

Will people be able to travel from the west coast of the US to the east coast in just 3.5 hours in the near future? In fact, this is possible even now, but only if you are a jet fighter pilot. However, it is not available to civilians.

The reason for this is the ban imposed by the US government in 1973 on supersonic commercial transport. At that time, many American citizens contacted the Federal Aviation Administration, concerned that such a move would make the skies too loud, because when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier, it creates a shock wave similar to an explosion.

However, this may soon change. A new executive order issued on June 6 removes this ban and sets deadlines for the introduction of noise-based certification rules for supersonic flights. This step could almost halve the travel time between New York and Los Angeles — from six to 3.5 hours. 

Before the ban, the US, France, the UK, and the Soviet Union were engaged in commercial applications of supersonic aviation technology. But the supersonic aircraft of each country made deafening noises that shattered windows at ground level.

New supersonic flight technology

Today, companies such as Boom Supersonic are creating a system where an aircraft can fly at an altitude of over 30,000 feet (9,100 meters), reach Mach 1, and produce no sound at ground level — a phenomenon known as Mach cutoff. The Boom aircraft reached this milestone in January 2025 when it completed a test flight that successfully lifted sonic booms upward, causing them to dissipate before reaching the ground. Boom faces competition from Lockheed Martin and its research partner NASA in the form of the X-59 demonstration aircraft. The X-59 design places the aircraft’s engines on top of the fuselage, which helps to limit shock waves and associated noise reaching ground level.

The regulatory schedule for this technology can be considered aggressive. The new directive provides for the lifting of bans on supersonic flight by December 3, the establishment of noise certification standards by December 6, 2026, and the implementation of final rules by June 6, 2027.

By comparison, the development of rules for the use of commercial drones took four years from the government mandate to final implementation.

According to www.space.com