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Boeing remains cautious on prospect of supersonic flight

By Shruthi Nair

Neom Investment Fund – part of the Saudi giga-project Neom – has invested in US aircraft manufacturer Boom Supersonic, and Riyadh Air is also considering supersonic flight in its future projects.

Saudi Arabian entities, it appears, are not fazed by the view of some industry experts that faster-than-sound flight poses unique difficulties.

Darren Hulst, commercial marketing vice-president at Boeing, told AGBI at the Dubai Airshow that environmental and cost concerns could limit the appeal of supersonic flight in a world that is “increasingly focused on sustainability”.

Nonetheless, the Overture plane from Boom is optimised to run on sustainable aviation fuel, and its order book is filling up, which should give the Neom fund some confidence in its investment.

Watch the full video for more from Boeing’s Darren Hulst and on supersonic flight.

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