The US House of Representatives has approved by voice vote a bill aiming to legalise supersonic flights over land in the United States. It urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue or revise regulations that allow for the operation of civil aircraft at speeds greater than Mach 1 in the national airspace system without special authorisation (as current regulations mandate), as long as no sonic boom reaches the ground.
The bill still has to pass through the Senate, before going to the president and becoming law. It was duly received in the Senate on March 25 and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
According to the bill, the FAA must establish final noise standards for supersonic aircraft by April 1, 2027. These should ensure that the takeoff and landing noise levels of supersonic aeroplanes do not exceed the limits currently required for subsonic aeroplanes in operation at the time the act is passed. A periodic review process will also be enacted to update the noise regulations over time as technologies evolve.
In a June 2025 executive order, President Donald Trump called for the resumption of supersonic commercial service over the continental US.
Currently, there are no supersonic commercial aircraft available anywhere in the world. The main company currently looking to reintroduce supersonic travel is Boom Technology, which is developing the Overture aircraft. However, voices in the airline industry believe Boom’s odds are not favourable, with United Airlines’ chief executive Scott Kirby recently saying it is “50/50” on whether the company actually succeeds and puts Overture in the air, despite United having a potential order for the aircraft.
