Japan Airlines (JAL) has formed a strategic partnership with US-based startup Boom Supersonic to accelerate the development of supersonic aircraft for the commercial aviation industry.
Under the deal, the company has made a $10m investment in Boom, which is currently developing a new-generation supersonic aircraft that can fly at 2.2mach and expected to reduce flight times in half.
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JAL will also help Boom to modify the latter’s aircraft design and define the passenger experience for supersonic travel from an airline’s perspective.
In addition, JAL has announced an option to buy up to 20 Boom aircraft under a pre-order arrangement.
Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl said: “We’ve been working with Japan Airlines behind the scenes for over a year now.
“JAL’s passionate, visionary team offers decades of practical knowledge and wisdom on everything from the passenger experience to technical operations. We’re thrilled to be working with JAL to develop a reliable, easily-maintained aircraft that will provide revolutionary speed to passengers.
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By GlobalData“Our goal is to develop an airliner that will be a great addition to any international airline’s fleet.”
In March, Boom secured $33m in Series A funding to complete the development and flight test of XB-1 supersonic demonstrator.
Caffeinated Capital, 8VC, Palm Drive Ventures, RRE Ventures, and Y Combinator’s Continuity Fund, as well as several angel investors,took part in the funding round, thereby bringing the company’s total funding for its aircraft development programme to $41m.
