INTHEBLACK December 2021 - Magazine - Page 49
Top right: A New York-bound Air France Concorde takes off at Charles de
Gaulle airport, marking the first passenger flight since the fleet was grounded
following the July 2000 crash that killed 113 people in Gonesse near Paris.
SUPERSONIC TRAVEL:
READY FOR TAKE-OFF?
UP IN THE AIR
Consensus among industry experts is that it will take
until mid-2023 for the global airline industry to return
to pre-pandemic levels.
Boon says low-cost carriers are expected to lead
the recovery and drive trends across the industry.
“We may see a trend towards more ultra low-cost
carriers, just in terms of increasing demand or increasing
capacity and being able to improve per-seat fuel-burn
figures, because that’s the critical point for reducing
emissions and having a better environmental score as
an operator.
“If the industry is really concerned about reducing its
emissions and improving efficiency, I think it should be
considering the ultra high-density layouts within their
aircraft.”
The road to recovery will require significant costcutting measures across the broader aviation industry.
Pent-up demand for travel may also be balanced by
financial concerns among travellers.
Can we expect legacy carriers to adopt more features
of the low-cost carrier business model?
Bilotkach says some network carriers may seek to
unbundle their airfares in a similar fashion to easyJet
and AirAsia.
“We’re already seeing this happening in Europe
and North America,” he says.
“In the future, when you travel on carriers like
Singapore Airlines or Thai Airways, don’t take inflight
meals or baggage allowance for granted.”
ON 24 OCTOBER 2003, THE SUPERSONIC CONCORDE JET MADE ITS LAST
COMMERCIAL PASSENGER FLIGHT, TRAVELLING AT TWICE THE SPEED OF
SOUND FROM NEW YORK CITY’S JOHN F. KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
TO LONDON’S HEATHROW AIRPORT.
The transatlantic roundtrip cost an average of
US$12,000 (A$17,000).
The aircraft required
high levels of
maintenance and
burned jet fuel at the
rate of one tonne per
seat. The price was
ultimately too high, but,
with United Airways
recently signing an
agreement with Boom
Supersonic to buy 15 of
its Overture airliners,
can we expect
supersonic aircraft to
take off again?
“I think it’s one of the
most exciting things
happening in aviation
right now,” says Dr Tony
Webber, academic at
the University of New
South Wales. “You
could travel between
Sydney and Los
Angeles in less than half
the time. New
technology is helping to
reduce the cost with
greater fuel efficiency,
lower cost of materials
and lower maintenance
requirements.”
United Airways has
agreed to purchase the
Overtures once they
meet its safety,
operating and
sustainability
requirements. Slated
to carry passengers in
2029, the net-zero
carbon aircraft will
fly on 100 per cent
sustainable aviation
fuel.
While much hype
surrounds supersonics,
IBA’s Tim Boon believes
their time may have
passed.
“I understand
[supersonics] are
committed to using
sustainable aviation
fuel, but the amount of
fuel burnt on a per
passenger and a per
flight basis would be
considerably more to
go the same distance,
just to be getting there
faster,” he says.
“If you’re bringing an
aircraft into an industry
that is so focused on the
environment right now, I
don’t think it’s the best
use of sustainable
aviation fuel to warrant
flying it. Maybe 10 years
ago, it may have seemed
like a good idea, but not
now.”
With the recent
announcement of the
US-based supersonic
aircraft manufacturer
Aerion Supersonic
closing its operations
due to the “current
financial environment”,
the future of
supersonics remains
up in the air.
intheblack.com December 2021 49