Chinese online travel services provider Ctrip has announced it has the completion of a strategic investment in Boom Technology (Denver Centennial), a Colorado-based firm active in the development of supersonic commercial jets.

In a statement, Ctrip said Boom would use the proceeds to accelerate the development of the company’s Mach-2.2 airliner and thus bring supersonic travel to the Chinese market. To that end, Ctrip will leverage its extensive knowledge of the Chinese market to help Boom accelerate its ongoing partnership efforts with airlines in China. In return, Boom will help Ctrip explore offering its customers 10–15 seats on one of Boom’s first several supersonic commercial flights.

“Ctrip offers valuable expertise in the Chinese travel market, and we’re excited to work with their passionate, entrepreneurial team to bring supersonic travel to the region,” Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom, said. “San Francisco to Shanghai Pudong, for example, could shrink from 11 hours to 6 and a typical round-trip itinerary can be accomplished two whole days faster.”

“As a leading innovator in the commercial aviation industry, Boom will be positioned to provide exciting premium global flight options for Ctrip users and Ctrip is making a strategic investment in the next generation of travel. In addition, Ctrip’s unrivalled expertise in the business-travel market will help Boom to further deepen its relationships with Chinese airlines,” James Liang, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Ctrip added.

Boom is building a supersonic airliner capable of carrying 55 premium passengers at Mach 2.2 with a debut expected during the mid-2020s. The company is backed by venture capital firms such as 8VC, RRE, Lightbank, Y Combinator, and Caffeinated Capital, as well as angel investors including Sam Altman, Paul Graham, and Greg McAdoo. Airlines that have thus far ordered aircraft include JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda) (which has ordered twenty jets) and Virgin Galactic (VGX, Las Cruces) (which has ten options).