Dubai: Reminiscent of the UAE hyperloop, supersonic transport promises to fly passengers over oceans at revolutionary speeds and cut conventional travel times by about half. The idea has recently been reintroduced, and there have been reports that airlines in the region might be interested.
Boom, a US-based start-up that markets supersonic jets for commercial use, was recently in the UAE to pitch the state-of-the-art technology at the Dubai Future Foundation.
The visit fuelled speculations that soon the mode of transport will be adopted in the UAE and that passengers from the region will be able to travel to places like New York for a little over seven hours, instead of more than 14 hours, and London for more than four hours, instead of seven hours and 30 minutes.
But it looks like Boom has a lot of convincing to do.
Emirates, the Dubai-based carrier that operates more than 200 aircraft, said on Monday that it is currently not so keen about the idea.
A spokesperson for the company said the airline doesn’t intend to invest in supersonic aircraft at the moment. The company, however, assured that it is always in discussions with plane makers about improving fleet efficiencies and innovative technology.
“Emirates is continuously engaged in dialogue with aircraft manufacturers around increased aircraft efficiencies and innovative technology. We can confirm that there are no immediate plans for investment in supersonic aircraft,” Emirates said in a statement sent to Gulf News.
Boom aims to manufacture supersonic jets that it intends to sell to carriers worldwide and enable passengers to afford high-speed travel.
“We aspire to innovate and bring back supersonic passenger flight at an affordable price,” the company said on its official Twitter account.
“Transatlantic trips can be done in a single business day. Transpacific itineraries are up to two days faster. Leave New York at 6am, make afternoon and dinner meetings in London, and be home to tuck your kids into bed.”
The company hopes to launch its first supersonic flight next year.
