Supersonic Flights Over Land in the US? New Bill Aims to Lift 50-Year Ban

U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bill to legalize supersonic commercial flight over US land.

Since 1973, the United States has banned commercial aircraft from breaking the sound barrier over land, largely due to concerns over sonic booms. Now, with new technologies promising to end sonic booms entirely, the American Congress is reconsidering this long-standing ban. This could mean getting flights from LAX-JFK in under 2 hours.

I’m hopeful, but is supersonic travel a realistic future? And have we learned anything from the past?

When the first supersonic airliners like the Concorde and the Soviet Tu-144 were introduced, the U.S. public and regulators grew concerned about sonic booms. When an aircraft exceeds Mach 1, it generates shockwaves that reach the ground as a loud boom that can rattle windows and even cause property damage. Sonic booms would also cause car alarms to go off, dogs to freak out, and a disturbingly loud noise. It eventually became a public safety concern. To test the waters, a series of experiments were carried out in Oklahoma City in 1964, where residents had to deal with multiple sonic booms daily (I’m not sure how they got this unlucky). The public outcry and thousands of complaints made it clear that routine supersonic flights over populated areas would be hugely unpopular.

By 1973, the FAA enacted 14 CFR 91.817, banning civil supersonic flight over land. This meant that planes like the Concorde could only break the sound barrier after leaving U.S. shores. Sonic boom fears, along with high operating costs, meant Concorde never received U.S. approval for domestic supersonic routes, and it remained a niche transoceanic luxury service until its retirement in 2003.

A retired British Airways Concorde being lifted to a New York museum.

On May 14th, 2025, Senator Ted Budd introduced the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act (SAM Act), aiming to lift the U.S. ban on civilian supersonic flight over land.

But if you’re an American, you don’t have to worry about sonic booms bothering you on the daily. The bill requires the FAA to update or repeal the 1973 regulation that set a “speed limit in the sky,” so that civilian aircraft can operate above Mach 1 as long as no sonic boom reaches the ground.

Meaning, supersonic jets are only allowed to break the sound barrier if they can do it quietly.

Senator Budd, a pilot himself, argues that the focus should be on sound impact instead of speed. He noted that for 52 years the U.S. has had a “speed limit in the sky” and that it’s time to “lift the outdated ban on civil supersonic flight” in order to spur innovation and keep American aviation competitive.

North Carolina is interested in the bill’s passage. Boom completed a supersonic airline factory in Greensboro roughly a year ago, after receiving more than $100 million in state incentives in 2022. In exchange, Boom promised to create more than 1,700 jobs by 2030. Texas has an interest, too: Boom is making the engine that powers its Overture supersonic airline in San Antonio in partnership with the aerospace company StandardAero.

Under the SAM Act, the FAA would have a 12-month deadline to revise the rule once the bill is passed.

This bill is no coincidence either. Supersonic aviation is being resurrected, at least in development labs and test sites. Multiple companies and organizations are working on the next generation of supersonic aircraft designed to be faster and quieter. Here are some of the key players and projects in this new supersonic race:

I previously talked in more detail about these companies and what the new age of supersonic jets could look like. You can read about it here. [insert link to previous article]
In short, multiple U.S. companies (and some overseas) are betting that modern aerodynamics, advanced materials, and engine innovations can resurrect supersonic flight in a quieter and more efficient way than the Concorde era. They are actively trying to improve in all the aspects that made Concorde fail. This flurry of innovation is a big reason why Congress is revisiting the ban now—the technology is catching up to the dream.

Like everyone else, I’m also enamoured by the idea of making supersonic flights a reality again. If Congress mandates action via this bill, the FAA would be tasked with crafting the specific regulations that balance innovation with noise control.

Lifting the ban is the first step, but between the technological leaps for decreasing noise, environmental concerns, and even operational costs, there’s still a long way to go. I think that supersonic flight will become a reality again very soon, but the journey will have a lot of twists and turns and policy drama.

What do you think about supersonic flights becoming a reality? I know I’ll be first in line with my boarding pass in my hand.