LETTER FROM AMERICA

摘要

United Airlines will purchase 15 'Overture' airliners from Boom Technology Inc, once Overture meets United's demanding safety, operating and sustainability requirements. They will have an option of 35 more aircraft. Scheduled to carry passengers in 2029, the net-zero carbon aircraft will fly on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The projected schedule is: rollout 2025; first flight 2026; and passenger travel 2029. It is unlikely that many readers, including this author, will be among the early passengers. Concorde was the first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane (or supersonic transport (SST)), built jointly by aircraft manufacturers in Great Britain and France. Concorde made its first transatlantic crossing on 26 September 1973 and it inaugurated the world's first scheduled supersonic passenger service on 21 January 1976, with British Airways initially flying the aircraft from London to Bahrain and Air France flying it from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. Both airlines added regular services to Washington DC in May 1976 and to New York City in November 1977. Concorde operations were finally ceased by Air France in May 2003 and by British Airways in October 2003. Only 14 of the aircraft actually went into service.