Three U.S.-based startups, strongly supported by the current U.S. administration, are preparing a comeback of new supersonic aircraft (SST, supersonic transport).
The International Council on Clean Transportation made a model of the landing and take-off noise, the sonic boom, and the CO2 emissions from a new, unconstrained SST network of 2,000 aircraft in 2035. The noise and climate impacts of an unconstrained commercial supersonic network are enormous.
The aircraft could double the area around airports exposed to substantial noise pollution compared to existing subsonic aircraft of the same size. Substantial parts of the world would experience disruptive sonic booms from the new SST aircraft. In fact it will have an impact on large parts of Europe.
Another negative effect is that this relatively small fleet would consume about one-fifth of the entire carbon budget afforded international aviation under a 1.5°C climate trajectory, assuming that aviation maintains its current share of emissions.
UECNA wants to warn everyone seriously about this new threat, which will only benefit the rich who want to race faster around the world!
Download the report from the ICCT website.
