Supersonic jets set to finally return after 50 year ban with 800mph flights

Supersonic jets are set to finally return after the US took a major step to overturn a 50-year ban.

The Trump administration claims the technological advances now make it possible to fly faster than the speed of sound without the ear-shattering sonic boom.

Since 1973, the Federal Aviation Administration has prohibited civil aircraft from exceeding Mach 1 over US land to prevent disruptive sonic booms.

The Department of Transportation plans to replace the ban on overland supersonic flight with a noise limit.

This will allow an aircraft to fly faster than Mach 1 over land as long as the noise caused stays below a set level, a notice published by the FAA on Tuesday, June 30, confirmed.

The notice follows an executive order by US President Donald Trump issued in June 2025 directing the FAA to repeal its "prohibition on overland supersonic flight … establish an interim noise-based-certification standard … and remove additional regulatory barriers that hinder the advancement of supersonic aviation technology in the United States."

Mach 1 is equal to the speed of sound, which is approximately 1,235 km/h (767 mph or 343 m/s) in dry air at sea level at 20 °C

The FAA hopes to finalise both rules by mid-2027, according to the notice.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement that technological advances will eliminate the old sonic boom.

"This means we can ultimately repeal the ban from the 1970s on supersonic flight over US territory while minimizing noise impacts to residents in communities along the route and near airports," he added.

In the 1960s, a plane flying faster than the speed of sound - about 660 mph at high altitudes - created shock waves that travelled to the ground and reached human ears as a loud gunshot-like crack, Forbes reported.

Tests during that decade found repeated booms broke windows, damaged property and sparked thousands of public complaints.

In its 1973 ruling, the FAA stated that due to the limits of technology at that time, "a prohibition was needed to protect the public from sonic boom".

Several years later, Air France and British Airways introduced Concorde.

The airlines were allowed to serve New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport but flights had to remain subsonic over US land.

Several U.S. companies are working on a new generation of luxurious supersonic passenger aircraft with much quieter sonic booms and improved fuel efficiency.

Colorado-headquartered Boom Supersonic says it has pre-orders from United Airlines, American Airlines and Japan Airlines for its Overture jets, which will carry 60-80 passengers.

Atlanta-based Spike Aerospace is developing smaller Diplomat jets for up to 18 passengers.

Both companies' websites tout future transatlantic flights in under four hours.