(Reuters) – United Airlines said on Thursday it signed an agreement with Denver-based aerospace company Boom Supersonic to buy aircraft that would run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel as the company looks to cut carbon emissions.
Under the agreement, the airline will purchase 15 of Boom’s ‘Overture’ aircraft once they meet United’s safety, operating and sustainability requirements, with an option for an additional 35 aircraft.
Once operational, Overture is expected to be the first large commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, optimized to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel, United said in a statement.
U.S. startups Aerion, Boom and Spike Aerospace are working to reintroduce supersonic passenger travel for the first time since the Anglo-French Concorde retired in 2003.
The new Overture aircraft will cut travel times in half, United added.
(Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
