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supersonic·impact

Route Comparator

Pick a route. See what supersonic does to it.

Subsonic block times reflect today’s scheduled widebody flights. Supersonic times use the aircraft selected on the right (currently Boom Overture).

Tap two airports on the map above (or use the From / To picker) to see the comparison.

Illustrative, based on Boom Supersonic’s public claims and published aviation data. See methodology.

Economic Impact

What happens when every business trip is hours shorter?

Move the sliders to picture a world where supersonic travel is mainstream. Recovered productivity flows through the aviation economy’s catalytic multiplier into GDP and jobs, the same engine that today supports $4.1T of economic activity and 86.5M jobs globally.

Multiplied GDP Impact
$0/yr
3.5× catalytic multiplier
0.0%
of global aviation GDP
Direct productivity recovered
$0/yr
The multiplied figure applies aviation’s catalytic multiplier (jobs, supply-chain, tourism) to the direct productivity that supersonic travel recovers.

Scenario

Live
100K10M
5100
$100$800
112
≈ 100K passengers per route across 20 hubs
Hours saved
0
passenger-hours / yr
Direct productivity
$0
hours saved × hourly value
Jobs supported
0
at ATAG's jobs-per-$ ratio
Per-passenger benefit
$0
recovered value / yr
Assumptions & sources
Average hours saved per one-way: 4.1 h
Mean over the 12 curated routes in this app (transatlantic, transpacific, trans-Indian). Derived from Boom Supersonic's stated Mach 1.7 / Mach 1.3 cruise speeds and today's scheduled subsonic block times.
Average subsonic block time per one-way: 9.4 h
Mean of scheduled widebody block times across the curated routes, sourced from airline schedules and Great Circle Mapper.
Catalytic GDP multiplier: 3.5×
Aviation's catalytic multiplier: the second-order effect on jobs, supply chains, and tourism beyond direct productivity. Typical literature range is 2.5–3.5; this site uses the upper bound as an illustrative scenario, not a forecast (IATA / ATAG, World Bank).
Global aviation total economic impact: $4.1T
≈3.9% of global GDP. Source: ATAG, Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders.
Global aviation jobs supported: 86.5M
Direct + induced + catalytic. We apply this jobs-per-dollar ratio to the multiplied GDP figure. Source: ATAG.
Annual hours saved formula
passengers × round-trips × 2 × avg hours saved per one-way. Routes is a network-scale context input (it drives the passengers-per-route stat); it does not double-count volume.

Illustrative, based on Boom Supersonic’s public claims and published aviation economic data. Real outcomes depend on final aircraft specs, regulations, fuel availability, and route economics. Full derivations: docs/methodology.md.

Illustrative, based on Boom Supersonic’s public claims and published aviation economic data (ATAG, IATA). Real outcomes depend on final aircraft specs, regulations, fuel availability, and route economics. See methodology.

Sustainability

Faster, but at what climate cost?

Independent analysis by ICCT/MIT estimates a commercial supersonic transport like Overture burns 5–8× the fuel per passenger of a modern 787-9. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) can offset most of that on paper, but in 2024 global SAF supply was just 0.3% of jet-fuel demand.

Fuel scenario

JFK → LHR (sample)
0%100%
SAF
0%
Jet A
100%
Lifecycle cut
0%

SAF lifecycle reduction modeled at up to 80% (IATA HEFA cap). Global SAF supply was 0.3% of jet-fuel demand in 2024, so a 100% SAF tank today is a book-and-claim accounting move, not a physical reality.

Per passenger
0 kg
CO₂ round-trip on Overture
vs 787-9
—
more CO₂ than the same trip on a modern widebody
Car-miles
0
driving an average US car (EPA)
Tree-years
0
of a mature tree absorbing CO₂

How this is calculated

  • Supersonic baseline uses the midpoint of ICCT/MIT’s independent analysis (December 2024): Overture burns roughly 7× the fuel per passenger-kilometer of a 787-9, with a range of 5–8×.
  • Subsonic baseline is 60 g CO₂ / pax-km, a fully-loaded 787-9 in economy (ICCT’s commercial-aviation emissions dataset).
  • SAF effect is modeled as up to 80% lifecycle CO₂ reduction (IATA, on currently-available HEFA pathways). The slider blends linearly: 50% SAF ≈ 40% lifecycle cut.
  • Boom’s “net-zero with 100% SAF” claim folds in book-and-claim accounting and external carbon-removal credits. This section models only physical combustion + lifecycle SAF reduction, so 100% SAF here lands at the 80% cap, not net-zero.
  • Equivalents use 248 g CO₂/km for an average US passenger vehicle (US EPA, 2023) and ~21 kg CO₂/year absorption per mature tree (widely-cited forestry heuristic; range 10–40 kg).

Illustrative. Overture hasn’t flown yet, so figures use independently published projections. Real outcomes will depend on final aircraft specs, engine performance, route, load factor, and the regional SAF feedstock mix. Sources: ICCT (Dec 2024), IATA SAF 2024, US EPA passenger vehicle.

About

What this is, and how the numbers are derived.

supersonicimpact is a portfolio project I built to make supersonic commercial flight feel concrete. Route comparisons, a time-value calculator, and a fleet-scale economic simulator, all running off Boom Supersonic’s publicly stated specs.

Built by Matt·View source on GitHub

Methodology

Aircraft data

Boom Overture is Mach 1.7 over water, 4,250 NM range, with a claimed Mach 1.3 Boomless Cruise over land. The other six presets (Concorde, Tu-144, X-59, XB-1, AS2, S-512) use each manufacturer's published specs.

Flight times

Block time = 0.4 h ground + 0.5 h climb/descent + (distance − 250 NM) / (Mach × 576 kt). Subsonic baseline uses scheduled airline block times (~480 kt effective). Slider edits recompute live.

Economic impact

Hours saved × hourly value gives direct productivity. A 3.5× catalytic multiplier (per ATAG's Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders) projects that into GDP and jobs supported.

Illustrative, not financial advice. Figures come from Boom Supersonic’s public claims and published aviation data. Real outcomes will depend on final aircraft specs, regulatory approvals, fuel availability, and route economics.

Sources

  • Boom Supersonic, public specs and press materials
  • ATAG, Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders
  • Great Circle Mapper for distances
  • Airline schedules (BA, UA, DL, QF) for subsonic baselines
  • FAA / ICAO for climb and descent profiles
  • Full methodology (GitHub)