United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby doubts Boom Supersonic will meet its 2029 timeline for the Overture supersonic airliner, saying the programme will take longer. In a podcast interview published on Wednesday, he pointed to the development and certification work still ahead and cautioned that success was not assured. Kirby gave no revised date or clarification of which programme milestone the 2029 target refers to.
United is among Overture’s prospective airline customers, alongside American Airlines and Japan Airlines. Kirby said United could be the first carrier to operate the aircraft if the programme succeeds, while praising Boom chief executive Blake Scholl. The interview was recorded at United’s pilot training centre in Denver.
Boom plans to build Overture at its facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. The company’s stated schedule has pointed to 2029, but Kirby’s assessment is not a revised programme timetable. No new entry-into-service date or certification milestone has been reported, and Boom had not responded to media enquiries about his comments.