In December, Congress is expected to review legislation that would end the FAA’s 52-year restriction on commercial supersonic flight over land. A reversal of the ban could have big implications for America’s most watched professional sports league.
This month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the supersonic test campaign of Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator was “of particular interest” to the leadership of the NFL. The league has quietly kept a “close eye” on the progress of Boom and other supersonic developers for years, sources said.
The draw is reduced travel times promised by aircraft such as Boom’s Overture, which the company claims will cut trips between New York and London in half by flying at Mach 1.7, or about 975 knots. The NFL has no firm plans for an overseas franchise, per the Journal. In recent years, though, it has held contests in cities such as London, Mexico City, and São Paulo, Brazil. This season, the league added Berlin and Dublin. In 2026, it will host its first game in Australia.
“People familiar with the NFL’s thinking” told the Journal that overseas expansion isn’t a major priority for the league. But it is a source of intrigue, and reduced travel times are a significant point of consideration.
Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom, said that he “shouldn’t comment on private discussions” but that travel times are the “only reason” the NFL has not become more global.
“It’s inevitable,” Scholl told the Journal.
Return of Supersonic
It might be hard for younger readers to believe, but supersonic flight existed for decades. Concorde, jointly developed by English and French manufacturers, flew over 2.5 million people across just under 50,000 flights until its retirement in 2003.
Since then, no commercial airliner has broken the sound barrier. But that hasn’t stopped a handful of companies from trying.
Boom is perhaps the most prominent. Its Overture, expected to debut in 2029, is designed to fly about 50 percent faster than a conventional jet over land and twice as fast over water. The company has about 130 orders and preorders from major carriers including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines.
The XB-1 demonstrator broke the sound barrier six times during tests in January and February. It is the first commercially built airliner to achieve the feat and one of few aircraft to do so since Chuck Yeager’s historic Bell X-1 flight in 1947. The demonstrator also achieved what Scholl has dubbed “boomless cruise”—supersonic flight without an audible sonic boom on the ground.
Limiting Overture and similar models is what Scholl called his “least favorite” regulation—the FAA’s ban on supersonic flight over land. The rule was adopted primarily to mitigate noise from sonic booms. But if Overture can achieve boomless cruise, Scholl said, it becomes moot.
“[The rule] says ‘thou shalt not exceed Mach one,’” he told FLYING in February. “And what it should say is, ‘thou shalt not make loud noises.’”
In May, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act, which would reverse the FAA’s ban. The following month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the same aim.
To create new regulations for supersonic flight, regulators will lean on NASA and Lockheed Martin’s Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QUESST) program. The centerpiece of QUESST is the X-59, which like Overture is designed to eliminate sonic booms. For example, its Pinocchio-like nose—which extends about one-third of its length—is shaped to break up shock waves in front of the aircraft.
The X-59 made its debut test flight in October and will soon begin validation and envelope expansion tests. The final step in QUESST entails a community survey—NASA will fly it over residential areas and survey citizens below. Data from the program will be shared with the FAA and other regulators to guide their work.
League Expansion
The advent of transcontinental air travel was one factor that simplified Major League Baseball’s decision to relocate the Dodgers and Giants from New York to California. By train, cross-country travel could take days.
Supersonic flight could be a similar catalyst for the NFL.
Only two NFL teams have purchased their own private jets. The New England Patriots bought a pair of customized Boeing 767-300s nicknamed “AirKraft,” a nod to owner Robert Kraft, in 2017. The Arizona Cardinals in 2021 acquired a Boeing 777 that previously flew for Delta Air Lines.
The rest of the league charters widebodies like the 777, 767, or 787 from major commercial airlines. United Airlines chartered the most flights in the 2024-25 season, with Delta and American Airlines also popular options.
Some carriers are hesitant to take on NFL charters due to scheduling challenges, especially when they lack hubs where teams play their games. Franchises that can’t secure commercial flights look to dedicated charter operators such as Atlas Air.
The reason more teams don’t own their own aircraft is simple: cost. The 767-300, for example, is often listed for more than $200 million, though airlines often negotiate lower prices. For comparison, Boom’s Overture is expected to cost about $200 million per aircraft. But if it enters service with United or American, the NFL could look to charter it.
The biggest hurdle to the adoption of Overture will likely be capacity. In addition to the 53-man roster of players, NFL teams travel with coaches, trainers, medical staff, and other personnel. Parties can be as large as 200 people, in addition to thousands of pounds of equipment. And that doesn’t account for the size of many NFL players, who are of course larger than a typical person. Overture has a planned capacity of 60 to 80 passengers.
Other developers could face the same challenge when courting the NFL. Boston-based Spike Aerospace, for example, is developing its supersonic S-512 for up to 18 passengers. Another company, Atlanta’s Hermeus, is flying prototypes in pursuit of a hypersonic concept called Halcyon. It too faces constraints, maxing out at 20 passengers.
A few companies have pursued larger supersonic models but failed to prove their viability. Exosonic, which shut down last year, had been developing a Mach 1.8 airliner for up to 70 passengers. Similarly, Aerion pitched a Mach 4 airliner for up to 50 passengers before folding in 2021.
Other developers have opted for transonic designs, which approach the speed of sound but don’t quite reach it. Otto Aerospace, for example, is developing a nine-passenger, carbon-neutral, super-midsize business jet called the Phantom 3500. It will carry up to nine passengers, with entry into service anticipated by 2030.
