The FAA Wants to Let Supersonic Jets Fly Over US Cities, With One Catch

The US Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a rule change that would allow supersonic aircraft to fly over American cities, as long as they are quiet enough. That might sound like a small technical footnote, but it is actually a significant shift in aviation policy that has been half a century in the making.

The ban on overland supersonic flight in the US dates back to 1973, when the sonic boom produced by supersonic aircraft was deemed unacceptably disruptive to communities below. Concorde, the famous Franco-British supersonic airliner, was largely confined to transatlantic routes as a result, and the dream of fast domestic air travel never really got off the ground in America. Every startup that has tried to revive supersonic aviation in the decades since has had to design around this restriction.

What the New Proposal Actually Says

The FAA's proposed rule would not simply lift the ban. Instead, it would create a performance-based standard: aircraft that can demonstrate they produce a sonic boom below a certain threshold, measured in decibels at ground level, would be permitted to fly supersonic routes over land. The specific noise limit has not been finalised, and the FAA is inviting public comment on how that threshold should be set.

This approach is smart because it does not pick winners. It sets a bar and lets companies compete to clear it. The companies best placed to benefit are those already deep into low-boom supersonic development, most notably Boom Supersonic, which is developing its Overture airliner, and Lockheed Martin's X-59 experimental aircraft, which NASA has been using to gather data on quiet supersonic flight over communities in the US and abroad.

The X-59 is particularly relevant here. NASA designed it specifically to produce a sound more like a gentle thump than a conventional boom, roughly 75 perceived decibels at ground level, compared to around 105 for Concorde. The agency has been flying it over volunteer communities and collecting reaction data to inform exactly the kind of regulatory framework the FAA is now proposing.

Why This Matters for the Aviation Industry

Supersonic travel has been commercially dormant since Concorde retired in 2003. The economics were brutal: Concorde burned extraordinary amounts of fuel, carried relatively few passengers, and could only fly overland routes subsonically, which drastically limited its route network and revenue potential.

The new generation of supersonic developers has learned from that. Boom's Overture, for instance, is designed to run on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel and is targeting a cruising speed of Mach 1.7, which would cut a transatlantic crossing to around four hours. But the real commercial prize has always been domestic US routes. New York to Los Angeles in under two hours would be transformative for business travel. That market cannot exist if aircraft have to slow down to subsonic speeds the moment they cross the coastline.

If the FAA finalises a rule that creates a viable noise standard, it gives supersonic developers a concrete engineering target. That in turn makes it easier to raise capital, attract airline customers, and plan certification timelines. Several major airlines including United and American have placed conditional orders for supersonic aircraft, but delivery dates and commercial viability both depend on being able to use those aircraft on their most lucrative routes.

The Timeline Question

The FAA rule is still a proposal. The public comment period, the review of those comments, and the final rulemaking could take another two to three years. Boom Supersonic has pushed its Overture production timeline back before, and there are open questions about engine supply and certification requirements beyond the noise rule.

But the direction of travel, so to speak, is clear. After 50 years of a blanket ban, the US is building the regulatory foundation for a supersonic future. Whether any aircraft actually meets the noise standard, and when, is the next question to answer.