FAA Moves to Allow Civilian Supersonic Travel Over Continental US, No Airplane Can Do That Just Yet

The article centers on the FAA working on new sound rules that could allow civil supersonic aircraft to fly over the continental United States. It references the 1970s-era U.S. ban on supersonic travel over land populated areas, originally intended to protect people from aircraft noise associated with breaking the sound barrier. The FAA says it plans, by the end of June 2026, to enable civil supersonic flights, supported by a noise-based certification standard proposed by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. A separate set of rules is expected later in 2026 to establish landing and takeoff noise standards. The FAA stresses that designs will need sonic-boom reduction technologies; it points to Mach-based approaches that could keep the boom from reaching the ground, including work by Boom Supersonic.