FAA Takes First Steps to Repeal Supersonic Flight Ban

Proposed interim standards mark the agency’s first major step to undo the decades-old ban.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 03:45 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

NASA is exploring the reduction of sonic booms to a quieter 'thump' using its experimental X-59. [Credit: Lockheed Martin]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has begun the process of repealing the 53-year-old ban on civil supersonic flight over the continental U.S., citing technological advancements that eliminate the traditional sonic boom.
The proposed rule replaces the ban with interim noise-based certification standards, requiring aircraft to produce less than 0.11 pounds per square foot (psf) of sonic boom overpressure at surface level.
This change will open U.S. airspace for commercially viable supersonic flights and enable more extensive flight testing for companies like Boom Supersonic without special authorizations.
This is the first step in a multi-phase regulatory process, with the FAA planning to address takeoff and landing noise standards in a future proposal and finalize all rules by mid-2027.

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Federal regulators on Tuesday took the first step in repealing the 53-year-old ban on civil supersonic flight over the continental U.S.

The FAA established the limitation in 1973 to protect the public from sonic booms. It has faced significant pressure from Congress and the White House to reverse it, citing advancements in technology. In a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published Tuesday, the regulator said it agrees with the ban’s detractors that the provision is “outdated and no longer appropriate.”