UNITED AIRLINES TO BUY 15 ULTRAFAST JETS

London to New York may again be possible in under 4 hours after the US-based airline struck a deal for 15 ultrafast jets. Regular commercial supersonic flights have not been seen since 2003, Deutsche Welle reported.

United Airlines announced on Thursday that it was planning to buy 15 supersonic jets from Denver-based aerospace company Boom Supersonic, reviving the kind of high-speed air travel not witnessed since the demise of the Concorde almost two decades ago.

"We're the first US airline to sign an agreement for Boom's Overture airliners," United said on Twitter, adding the planes will be ready for take-off in 2029.

Under the agreement, United will purchase the fleet once they meet the airline's safety, operating, and sustainability requirements, with an option for an additional 35 aircraft should the transaction prove to be a success.

Connecting more than 500 cities, United hopes to halve flight times, with London to New York projected to take just three and a half hours, while Tokyo to San Francisco would be a six-hour flight.

The Overture plane will hold between 65 and 88 passengers while airfares will be equivalent to those of business class, according to United. This announcement comes less than two weeks after Aerion's plans to produce a supersonic jet faltered over a lack of funding.

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