Reporting on the Dubai Airshow 2017, BBC business reporter Russell Hotten said Blake Scholl — founder and chief executive of Denver-based Boom Supersonic (www.boomsupersonic.com)— was “trying to woo investors and Middle East airlines” to back his ambition to once again make flying faster than the speed of sound commercially viable.

Mr Scholl — the former Amazon executive and founder of mobile payments firm Kima Labs — says he already has 76 ‘pre-
orders’ from airlines and is talking to another 20 carriers.

“Airlines are always looking to differentiate themselves, so adding supersonic aircraft to the fleet mix would make sense for many carriers; and geographically, the Middle East is ideally positioned as a connecting hub to the rest of the world.”

Mr Hotten said that Mr Scholl’s business plan estimates a market for 1,000 to 2,000 Boom aircraft over the next 10 years, with the first aircraft entering service in 2023.

The first test flight of a one-third-scale ‘demonstrator’ is scheduled to take place next year. This will be a key step in the design and approval process, and its aim is to attract more investment.

Mr Scholl says that the search for an aircraft production site is under way, with a decision on the location expected in the first half of next year. He has also announced two new high-profile appointments: Bill James, who led wing design on the Airbus A380 super-jumbo jet; and Lourdes Maurice, former director of environment and energy at the US Federal Aviation Authority.

Mr James will be in charge of production and finance, while Dr Maurice will help negotiate the ‘regulatory minefield’.

They join a team that already includes people from Boeing, NASA, Lockheed Martin and the rocket business SpaceX.