he potential return of supersonic travel has moved a small step closer after an aviation start-up received a $33m funding boost to develop its 'Baby Boom' jet. Commercial supersonic travel disappeared when the Concorde was retired in 2003, but Boom Technology are confident flying across the Atlantic faster than the speed of sound could again be a reality. The company revealed it has raised $33m in Series A funding, including Y Combinator investment, to finish development and a flight test of its XB-1 Baby Boom prototype. "Imagine traveling across the Atlantic, getting business done, and being home to tuck your children into bed. Or saving two whole days of a typical round-trip itinerary to Asia," Blake Scholl, Boom's CEO and founder, said in a release. "When time is no longer a limit, where will you vacation? Where will you do business? Will you fall in love with someone from another continent? And how much more time will you have at home with the people who matter." He added that building a supersonic plane is "not easy — but it is important". "Taking a step back, why would one found a company to build a commercial airliner? This is a space that is technologically challenging, heavily regulated, and capitally intensive," he asked. "It's dominated by two conglomerates, and there has been no successful start-up in commercial aircraft in 95 years. "While we love the hard engineering and technical challenges, what really drives us is the enormous human benefit of faster travel." Boom believe they can design a jet capable of travelling at 1,451mph, capable of getting you from London to New York in just over three hours, costing $2,500 each way.
