DECEMBER 2022
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL
FUEL CONSUMPTION
COMPARING FUEL CONSUMPTION IN
TODAY’S PREMIUM SUBSONIC CABIN TO
AN ALL-PREMIUM OVERTURE AIRCRAFT
About
Boom Supersonic
Boom Supersonic is transforming air travel with Overture, the world’s
fastest airliner, optimized for speed, safety, and sustainability. Serving
both civil and government markets, Overture will fly at twice the speed
of today’s airliners and is designed to run on 100% sustainable aviation
fuel (SAF). Symphony™, a Boom-led collaboration with industry leaders,
is the propulsion system that will power Overture. Overture’s order book,
including purchases and options from American Airlines, United Airlines,
and Japan Airlines, stands at 130 aircraft. Boom is working with Northrop
Grumman for government and defense applications of Overture. Suppliers
and partners collaborating with Boom on the Overture program include
Collins Aerospace, Eaton, Florida Turbine Technologies (FTT), a business
unit of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., GE Additive, Safran
Landing Systems, StandardAero and the United States Air Force.
For more information, visit www.boomsupersonic.com..
Copyright © 2022 Boom Supersonic. All rights reserved.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // i
Table of Contents
List of Acronyms iii
Executive Summary 1
Section 1: Introduction 2
Section 2: Methods and Data Sources 4
Routes Evaluated 4
Subsonic Aircraft Fuel Consumption Intensity Calculations 5
Overture Fuel Consumption Intensity Calculations 8
Section 3: Overture Fuel Consumption Intensity Findings 9
Section 4: Air Travel - A Historical Perspective on Fuel Efficiency 11
Section 5: Delivering Sustainable Supersonic Travel 13
Section 6: Conclusion 15
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // ii
List of Acronyms
ASK: Available Seat Kilometers
CFD: Computational Fluid Dynamics
CO2: Carbon Dioxide
IATA: International Air Transport Association
ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organization
ICCT: International Council on Clean Transportation
NOX: Oxides of Nitrogen
RANS: Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes
SABA: Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance
SAF: Sustainable Aviation Fuel
SBTi: Science Based Targets initiative
SSBJ: Supersonic Business Jet
SST: Supersonic Transport
U.S. DOT: United States Department of Transportation
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // iii
Executive Summary
Air travel connects the world, linking people, culture, and ultimately enabling global
economies to prosper. Supersonic air travel promises to amplify these benefits by reducing
travel time even further. Boom Supersonic is building Overture, an airliner designed to
operate sustainably at approximately twice the cruise speed of current aircraft while
delivering a comfortable, enhanced cabin experience for 65 passengers.
At Boom, we are committed to delivering the benefits of high speed air travel sustainably,
in a net zero carbon manner. Boom’s sustainability strategy centers on the use of 100%
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and efforts to rapidly advance and scale SAF production. This
will enable net zero carbon operation of Overture while research and development efforts
are undertaken to further mature supersonic technology, resulting in continued efficiency
improvements.
Boom is also actively engaged and working with researchers and climate scientists to
understand, quantify, and mitigate Overture’s non-CO2 climate impacts. We are designing
Overture with circular economy principles in mind to minimize end-of-life waste, and are
integrating sustainability throughout our supply chain. In addition to addressing climate
impacts, we are also committed to addressing community noise impacts by adhering to
Chapter 14 noise levels and flying at subsonic speeds over land and near coasts. Through
these actions, Boom is committed to delivering supersonic travel in a sustainable manner,
making sustainable aviation a reality for billions of passengers.
While Overture will operate with net zero carbon, and flying in the stratosphere will all
but eliminate contrail impacts, supersonic flight has incremental fuel consumption needs
relative to subsonic flight. This white paper shares an accurate comparison of the fuel
consumption intensity of a seat on Overture to that of an equivalent premium class seat on
a subsonic aircraft. The evaluation is performed for representative supersonic routes and
includes detailed calculations on a route-by-route basis, using aircraft-specific cabin layout
information and actual operational data for 2019 from U.S. Department of Transportation
Form 41 and T-100 databases.
This study finds that supersonic air travel on Overture consumes 2-3 times as much fuel per
seat than comparable premium class subsonic travel, depending on the routes evaluated, as
well as various fuel consumption assumptions related to the subsonic fleet.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 1
Section 1: Introduction
Air transport is one of the world’s most important industries, providing vital social and
economic benefits by linking continents and enabling trade across geographies. In 2018 alone,
the industry transported 4.5 billion passengers, moved 35% of worldwide trade by value ($6.5
trillion), and contributed $3.5 trillion to the world economy (approximately 4% of global GDP).1
These benefits are made possible by the speed of travel enabled by aviation, which provides
transport capability at speeds and distances 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than road
vehicles, ships, and trains.2
Supersonic air travel promises to deliver even greater benefits by reducing travel time even
further compared to the current fleet of subsonic commercial aircraft. Boom’s Overture
airliner is designed to operate at Mach 1.7 (1,300 miles per hour), which is approximately
twice the cruise speed of the current generation of subsonic aircraft, and is expected to be
operated on over 600 routes. In its 65-passenger configuration, Overture’s cabin is designed
to deliver an enhanced, productive cabin experience that is similar to the premium class
products (i.e., first and business-class cabins) offered on current subsonic aircraft. This will
allow travelers to halve their travel time in the air, remain productive during travel, arrive at
their destination refreshed, and conduct business trips in hours instead of days.
Traveling at supersonic speeds, however, involves additional energy requirements above
subsonic flight. This is because supersonic aircraft operate in conditions that fundamentally
differ from subsonic flight, resulting in greater fuel consumption for a given distance
traveled. Recently published studies claim that supersonic aircraft result in between 5-9
times3 as much fuel consumption per passenger than subsonic aircraft. However, these
claims are based on non-comparable data which do not provide an accurate comparison
of supersonic to subsonic aircraft. The studies compare the business class product of
supersonic aircraft against a subsonic mixed class product (i.e., including economy class
in addition to first and business class products),4 and use project aircraft rather than the
mature, wind tunnel validated aircraft data used by Boom.5
[1] Aviation Benefits Beyond Borders (2020). Global Fact Sheet.
[2] Varga et al. (2016). Further We Travel the Faster We Go.
[3] A 2018 ICCT study found that a 55-seat M2.2 SST burns between 5-7 times as much fuel per passenger as subsonic aircraft
on selected routes. A more recent 2022 ICCT study concluded that a 15-seat M1.4 SSBJ and a 75-seat M1.7 SST burn 7-9 times
more fuel per seat-km than subsonic aircraft.
[4] For instance, according to ICAO and IATA, premium cabin seats (which are more comparable to the product offered onboard
supersonic aircraft) result in up to 5 times higher fuel consumption than an economy class seat on subsonic aircraft, when
accounting for “the different weight and space associated with a passenger seat in different cabin classes.”
[5] Boom has conducted a total of five wind tunnel tests over the course of 2021 and 2022, covering the following aspects: (1)
low-speed aerodynamics, (2) low-speed airframe acoustics, (3) high-speed aerodynamics, (4) high-speed and static isolated
inlet, and (5) low-speed nozzle acoustics.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 2
Section 1: Introduction
This study presents a detailed evaluation of the fuel consumption per seat
(referred to hereafter as fuel consumption intensity) for Boom’s Overture airliner
compared to that of premium cabin seats on subsonic aircraft currently in
service. The evaluation is performed for representative supersonic routes from
the transatlantic and transpacific markets. It includes detailed calculations of
subsonic premium cabin fuel consumption intensity on a route-by-route basis using
aircraft-specific cabin layout information and actual operational data from the U.S.
Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT)6 for 2019. Further, the study includes a
detailed calculation of Overture’s fuel consumption performance based on Boom’s
robust validated aircraft performance models.
Section 2 describes the data sources and methods used in our evaluations. Section
3 presents the results of the comparison. Section 4 contextualizes these results
by providing a historical perspective on the evolution of aircraft fuel efficiency in
the aviation industry. Finally, Section 5 summarizes the key findings of this work
and outlines important steps that Boom is taking to address the increased energy
requirements inherent in supersonic travel.
[6] Data on subsonic aircraft operations in 2019 was obtained from the U.S. DOT T-100 database, while operational
fuel burn data was obtained from the Form 41 database.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 3
Section 2: Methods
and Data Sources
ROUTES EVALUATED
This study performed a fuel consumption intensity comparison for six representative
routes that are expected to have high demand for supersonic travel on Overture
based on customer engagement. These routes span both the transatlantic and
transpacific markets, as shown in Figure 1 below. This allows a detailed calculation of
fuel consumption intensity to be performed for subsonic flights on a route-by-route
basis, with calculations based on aircraft-specific cabin layout information and the
actual operational data for 2019 from U.S. DOT Form 41 and T-100 databases.
TOKYO CA
(NRT/HND) (LAX/SFO)
EUROPE
(LHR/FRA/CDG)
JFK
HNL
Figure 1: Transatlantic and transpacific markets evaluated to compare fuel
consumption intensity between Overture and subsonic premium cabin travel.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 4
Section 2: Methods and Data Sources
SUBSONIC AIRCRAFT FUEL CONSUMPTION
INTENSITY CALCULATIONS
The methodology used to calculate subsonic fuel consumption intensity per premium
seat is as follows: for each route, fuel consumed by a given subsonic aircraft type is
first apportioned to passenger transport according to the ratio of passenger and cargo
weights transported, following industry standard practices.7 Second, fuel consumption
is attributed to the transport of premium cabin passengers on the basis of cabin area,
allocated to each cabin type onboard the subsonic aircraft. Finally, the premium cabin
fuel consumption is divided by the total number of premium cabin seats to obtain a fuel
consumption intensity per premium seat. Figure 2 illustrates this methodology.
Passenger-attributable fuel
Passenger-attributable fuel
1 consumption is apportioned based on
1 consumption is apportioned based on
passenger and cargo weights.
passenger and cargo weights.
Premium cabin fuel consumption is
Premium cabin fuel consumption is
2 calculated based on the relative
2 calculated based on the relative
proportions of the cabin floor area.
Economy Cabin Premium Cabin proportions of the cabin floor area.
Economy Cabin Premium Cabin
Fuel consumption intensity per prem
Fuel consumption intensity per premium
seat is calculated by dividing premium
3
seat is calculated by dividing premium
3 cabin fuel consumption by the total n
cabin fuel consumption by the total number
of premium seats
of premium seats
Image Credits:
Image Credits: (top) ANA Cargo, available online at: https://www.anacargo.jp/en/int/specification/b787_10.html
(top) ANA Cargo, available
(bottom)online at: https://www.anacargo.jp/en/int/specification/b787_10.html
SeatGuru, British Airways SeatMaps BoeingB787-8, available online at: https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/British_Airways/British_Airways_Boeing787-8.php
(bottom) SeatGuru, British Airways SeatMaps BoeingB787-8, available online at: https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/British_Airways/British_Airways_Boeing787-8.php
Figure 2: Illustration of the methodology used to calculate subsonic fuel consumption
intensity per premium seat. The same process was repeated for each airline-aircraft
combination that operated in 2019 on the representative routes studied.
Information on the subsonic widebody fleet that operated on the routes illustrated
above was obtained from the U.S. DOT T-100 database for 2019 operations. Data
included the airline operator code, aircraft type, number of departures, number
of passengers, number of seats, total flight minutes,8 and total weight of cargo
transported, and represent non-directional values. A total of 45 different airline-
aircraft combinations were evaluated across the six representative routes.
[7] Follows industry standard practices established by IATA and SBTi.
[8] The T-100 database does not provide flight times for flights operated by non-US airlines; in these cases, average
flight times based on US airline flights contained in the database were substituted.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 5
Section 2: Methods and Data Sources
Fuel consumption for subsonic aircraft was based on U.S. DOT Form 41 data for 2019
operations. An average fuel consumption rate per flight hour was calculated for each
aircraft type for Atlantic and Pacific operations, and used with flight times from the
T-100 data to calculate total fuel consumption per flight. Since the Form 41 data only
reports data for U.S. airlines, it does not contain data for aircraft types not operated
by U.S. airlines (e.g., B747, A340, and A380). In these cases, the ICAO Carbon Emissions
Calculator9 was used to supplement fuel consumption information as needed.
Fuel consumption was apportioned to passenger transport according to the ratio
of passenger and cargo weights transported, as shown in Figure 3. Following the
methodology presented by IATA10 and SBTi,11 the weight of passengers transported was
calculated assuming 100 kg/passenger and 50 kg/seat. Together with the weight of the
cargo transported (which was obtained from the T-100 database), these figures were used
to determine the share of fuel consumption associated with transporting passengers.
Passenger and Cargo Weight Fractions
Passenger Cargo
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
JFK-LHR JFK-CDG JFK-FRA CA-HNL HNL-NRT CA-Tokyo
Figure 3: Average passenger and cargo weight fractions from 2019 subsonic
aircraft operations on the routes evaluated in this study.
[9] ICAO (2018). Carbon Emissions Calculator Methodology, Version 11.
[10] IATA (2014). Recommended Practice 1678, CO2 Emissions Measurement Methodology.
[11] SBTi (2021). Science-based Target Setting for the Aviation Sector.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 6
Section 2: Methods and Data Sources
Fuel consumption attributed to premium cabin transport was calculated based
on cabin area. The proportion of cabin floor area occupied by premium cabins was
calculated for each airline and aircraft type using seat dimension data from SeatGuru,
adjusted for aisle, galley, and amenities spaces based on cabin layout maps. Figure
4 illustrates the proportion of an aircraft’s cabin area allocated to premium cabins,
averaged over all operators studied in this work. Fuel consumption intensity per
premium seat was calculated by dividing premium cabin fuel consumption by the
number of premium class seats.
Figure 4: Proportion of
Average Premium Cabin Area
subsonic aircraft floor areas
allocated to premium class
A380
cabins. Results are shown
B747 by aircraft type, averaged
across all operators from 2019
A340 subsonic aircraft operations
on the routes evaluated in this
A330 study.
B767
B777
A350
B787
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Percentage of Cabin Area
Across all aircraft operations considered in this paper, the average subsonic fuel
consumption intensity was found to be approximately 0.014 gallons per seat-mile
(considering both economy class and premium class seats). The fuel consumption
intensity for subsonic premium class seats was approximately three times larger
than the average across all subsonic classes of travel, at 0.037 gallons per seat-mile.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 7
Section 2: Methods and Data Sources
OVERTURE AIRCRAFT FUEL CONSUMPTION
INTENSITY CALCULATIONS
Fuel consumption for Overture was calculated using a suite of robust, high-fidelity,
and patent-pending aircraft performance simulation tools developed at Boom. These
tools incorporate high-fidelity Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes computational fluid
dynamics (RANS CFD) calculations and have been extensively validated using wind
tunnel tests. Boom’s aircraft performance modeling tools are coupled with a detailed
Mission Analysis and Routing algorithm, which calculates Overture fuel consumption,
inclusive of the following realisms:
• Median winds aloft
• Flight speed restrictions and routing to avoid sonic boom impacts over land
masses, including secondary boom standoff distances
• Technical stops for refueling on long-range routes
• Fuel reserves for diversion, including climb and loiter for up to 30 minutes
• Capacity of 65 premium cabin passenger seats12
Though Overture has the ability to carry some cargo in addition to passenger bags,
this analysis conservatively assumes that 100% of Overture’s fuel consumption is
attributed to passenger travel.
[12] Though significantly higher, Overture’s maximum premium cabin seating configuration was not used in this
analysis in order to represent how most operators are likely to deploy the aircraft and retain the objective of
comparing similar cabins.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 8
Section 3: Overture
Fuel Consumption
Intensity Findings
Supersonic air travel on Overture consumes 2-3 times as much fuel per seat when
compared to premium class subsonic travel. This range captures the sensitivity of the
evaluation to the different routes considered.
Figure 5 provides a relative comparison of Overture’s fuel consumption intensity across
the routes that were studied. For most routes, Overture’s fuel consumption intensity
is lower than 2.5 times the corresponding premium class subsonic fuel consumption
intensity. Supersonic routes that have a greater proportion of overland flight tend
to have a higher fuel consumption intensity than routes that originate from airports
on the coasts due to speed and routing restrictions designed to eliminate sonic boom
impacts over land. Differences in the subsonic aircraft fleet and amount of freight
transported further contribute to variability in subsonic aircraft fuel consumption
intensity across the routes evaluated. Finally, long-range routes (such as California
to Tokyo) require Overture to perform a technical stop for refueling, leading to a fuel
consumption intensity that is approximately three times higher than premium class
subsonic travel.
The 2019 subsonic fleet that was evaluated in this analysis included a number of
less fuel-efficient aircraft — that is, aircraft with relatively higher fuel consumption
intensities on a premium seat basis, such as the Boeing 747, Airbus A340, and Airbus
A380. Of the routes evaluated in this study, these aircraft were predominantly
operated on the JFK-LHR, JFK-FRA, and HNL-NRT routes. As these aircraft are
expected to be retired from the fleet in the coming years, an alternate assessment was
performed excluding these aircraft types. The results of this alternate assessment
are shown as gray symbols in Figure 5. Compared to premium cabin travel on a more
efficient subsonic fleet (which excludes B747, A380, and A340 aircraft), Overture’s fuel
consumption intensity is approximately 2.5-3 times as high on those routes.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 9
Section 3: Overture Fuel Consumption Intensity Findings
Comparison of Fuel Consumption Intensity on
Overture with Subsonic Premium Cabin Travel
Transpacific
CA-Tokyo
- 3X
{
Transatlantic
JFK-LHR
Comparison with more
efficient subsonic fleet
(excluding B747, A380 and
A340 aircraft) JFK-FRA
HNL-NRT
- 2.5X
HNL-NRT
JFK-LHR
CA-HNL
JFK-CDG
JFK-FRA
- 2X
Figure 5: Comparison of fuel consumption intensity on Overture with subsonic
premium cabin travel. Values are provided as a ratio of Overture relative to
subsonic premium cabins. Grey icons denote a comparison of fuel consumption
intensity relative to a subsonic fleet excluding fuel-inefficient B747, A380, and A340
aircraft.
[13] Peeters, P.M., Middel J., and Hoolhorst A. (2005). Fuel Efficiency of Commercial Aircraft: An Overview of Historical
and Future Trends.
[14] Babikian R., Lukachko S.P., and Waitz I.A. (2001). The Historical Fuel Efficiency Characteristics of Regional Aircraft
from Technological, Operational, and Cost Perspectives.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 10
Section 4: Air Travel -
A Historical Perspective
on Fuel Efficiency
In aviation, step changes to increase the speed of travel often come at the cost
of increased fuel consumption, at least in the initial stages. For example, while the
jet engine doubled the speed of commercial air transport relative to piston-engine
airliners in the 1960s, initial jet aircraft designs were approximately three times as
fuel intensive as the technologically mature piston airliners of the time on a per seat
kilometer basis. Similarly, early regional jets were approximately 2.5 times less fuel
efficient than the turboprops operating in the same market. Over the span of 30 years
of continued research and development into aircraft designs and jet engine technology,
the fuel efficiency of commercial jet aircraft has improved to meet and even surpass
those of piston-engine airliners. Figure 6 illustrates this historical trend.
Piston-Engine and Jet Aircraft Energy Intensity
5.0
Large Jet Aircraft
Piston-Engine Aircraft
Energy per ASK [MJ/seat -km]
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Year of Model Introduction
Figure 6: Subsonic aircraft energy intensities. Data for piston-engine airliners
and large jet aircraft are taken from Peeters et al. (2005).15
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 11
Section 4: Air Travel - A Historical Perspective on Fuel Efficiency
Overture is the first commercial supersonic transport aircraft to be developed
since the Concorde and Tupolev Tu-144 were designed in the late 1960s. As
Overture enters airline fleets and begins service, and as other markets for
supersonic travel are tapped into (including supersonic business jets, high-value
cargo transport, and government executive transport), supersonic aircraft
technology will continue to mature and could similarly deliver improvements to fuel
efficiency relative to first-generation supersonic aircraft.
[15] Peeters P.M., Middel J., and Hoolhorst A. (2005). Fuel Efficiency of Commercial Aircraft: An Overview of
Historical and Future Trends.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 12
Section 5: Delivering
Sustainable Supersonic
Travel
At Boom Supersonic, we recognize the reality that supersonic travel is inherently more
energy intensive than subsonic flight. In building Overture, we strive to deliver the benefits
of speed in the most sustainable manner possible. The following section provides an
overview of our efforts to understand and mitigate the climate impacts of designing,
building, and flying Overture.
Boom’s sustainability strategy centers on advancing and scaling SAF production and use.
Overture and its engine, Symphony, are being designed to operate on 100% SAF and will
achieve net zero carbon through advanced biofuels, waste-based fuels, and power-to-
liquid (PtL) fuels, which offer up to 100% life cycle CO2 reduction. Overture and Symphony
are also being designed to accommodate future SAF specifications, which will feature
improved performance characteristics and reduced environmental impacts compared
to today’s drop-in blended fuels. Use of 100% SAF will enable net zero carbon operation
of Overture, as further research and development is undertaken to mature supersonic
technology and improve fuel economy.16
Boom is partnering with airlines to enable net zero carbon Overture flights and SAF
use. In 2021, Boom signed a commercial agreement with United Airlines for an order
of 15 Overture aircraft. Boom is proud that, as part of this agreement, United intends
to operate its Overture fleet at net zero carbon from day one. Boom is also actively
engaging with airline customers and other partners across the SAF value chain. This
includes a partnership with AIR COMPANY to supply PtL-based SAF for Overture flight
tests and our membership in the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA) to promote
SAF production and use through book and claim systems.
[16] Examples of currently ongoing research activities include the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Sustainability
Center’s (ASCENT) Project 10 and Project 47 (which investigate fuel burn and noise reductions from supersonic aircraft
enabled by clean-sheet engine designs and assess the potential future evolution of the next-generation supersonic aircraft
fleet). NASA is engaged in a similar study of assessing the environmental performance of several notional, near-term
supersonic transports. Other research institutions such as the SENECA and MORE&LESS projects are attempting to
conduct design optimization studies and environmental performance assessments of various supersonic concepts
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 13
Section 5: Delivering Sustainable Supersonic Travel
In 2022, Boom conducted a study to understand how the rapid scaling of SAF
production can be achieved, learning from drivers that enabled exponential growth of
other renewable energy industries.17 While continued progress across social, economic,
and technical domains is needed, one of the most important drivers identified to
achieve adequate supply of SAF and price parity with conventional fossil jet fuel is
the importance of early buy-in and adoption of SAF. These crucial demand signals
mark the beginning of a positive feedback loop between economies of scale and cost
reductions from overcoming learning curves that will enable SAF to scale rapidly and
drive the SAF market toward cost parity with conventional jet fuel.
Overture, with its premium product offering, presents a unique opportunity to support
early SAF uptake. We believe that the relative price inelasticity of the premium cabin
demand on Overture will be able to support the early price premiums associated with
SAF. This will enable customers to minimize their carbon footprint while traveling on
Overture and, at the same time, provide a strong demand signal to the SAF industry.
Further, Boom’s partnership with AIR COMPANY provides crucial early support to
the development of PtL SAF technology (i.e., using CO2 from the atmosphere and
renewable electricity to produce near limitless zero carbon SAF).
At Boom, we recognize that the climate impacts of supersonic travel extend beyond its
carbon footprint. Boom has taken an important first step in understanding Overture’s
non-CO2 climate impacts by prioritizing and investing in climate science. In 2021,
Boom engaged researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to better
understand the atmospheric effects of Overture emissions — including impacts of NOX
emissions, water vapor, and contrails — in order to inform mitigation strategies. As
the understanding of non-CO2 climate effects continues to improve, Boom is already
working to mitigate these impacts by investigating and incorporating broad emission-
reducing technologies such as no- or low-aromatic SAF and low NOX propulsion
technologies.
As a company, Boom prioritizes transparency and accountability by voluntarily
reporting on our emissions footprint annually and committing to science-based
targets. Boom achieved carbon neutrality in 2021, and has set itself an ambitious goal
to be net zero carbon by 2025. As outlined in our 2021 Environmental Sustainability
Report,18 this involves a transition to 100% renewable energy for Boom’s facilities
(already accomplished for Boom’s Denver headquarters as of 2021), recycling facility
waste, and maximizing landfill diversion. Furthermore, we strive to minimize design
and construction resources, employing circular economy principles to minimize end-of-
life waste, integrating sustainability throughout our supply chain, working with airline
partners to ensure the net zero carbon operation of Overture, and managing residual
emissions with high-quality offsets that prioritize carbon removal.
[17] Ashok and Murphy (2022). Scaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production: Lessons Learned from Exponential Growth in
Renewable Energy Industries.
[18] Boom Supersonic (2022). 2021 Environmental Sustainability Report.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 14
Section 6: Conclusion
Air travel enables vital personal and trade connections around the world, linking
continents and enabling economies to prosper. These benefits are delivered because of
the speed of travel enabled by aviation, and supersonic air travel promises to amplify
these benefits by significantly reducing travel time even further. While it is a reality that
supersonic travel does require more energy than subsonic flight, Boom, together with
its industry and academic partners, continues to advance research and development
into supersonic aircraft technology which is expected to deliver improvements both for
Overture, the next generation of supersonic aircraft, and future iterations of commercial
supersonic transport.
At Boom, we strive to deliver the benefits of speed in the most sustainable manner
possible. Boom’s sustainability strategy centers on advancing and scaling SAF production
and use, beginning with Overture flight testing and net zero carbon airline operations,
through to enabling widespread availability and eventual cost parity. Through this and
other actions, Boom is committed to delivering supersonic air travel in a sustainable
manner, making sustainable aviation a reality for billions of passengers.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL FUEL CONSUMPTION // 15
www.boomsupersonic.com
Although every effort has been made to ensure the quality and accuracy of information in this publication, it is
made available for information purposes only and without any warranty of any kind. All references were current and
accessible at the time of publication. Boom Supersonic partners, customers, suppliers, third-party reviewers, or
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