Aviation companies are developing the next generation of supersonic passenger jets nearly two decades after the Concorde was retired.
New Zealander Kenneth Irons organised for the supersonic jet to visit Auckland in 1986 and also arranged the Skyhawks to accompany it. He remembers military aircraft being unable to keep up with the passenger-carrying Concorde.
"They had to dial up the [Concorde] pilot and say 'do you mind buttoning it back a bit, we can't keep up with you.'"
The Anglo-French jet was unique as one of only two passenger jets that were designed for supersonic travel.
However, the Concorde experienced major challenges, most notably, including a high-profile crash that led to the jet fleet's retirement in 2003.
But 20 years later, others are proclaiming that supersonic travel is coming back.
American company Boom has promised to halve flight times with its in-development supersonic jets. It has claimed its jets will use more sustainable aviation fuels and be cheap for regular people to buy tickets on.
United Airlines have ordered 15 of the company's planes and has said they'll be flying by 2029. Meanwhile, Air New Zealand told 1News that it had no plans to order the plane, and Irons isn't convinced by the prospects of the new supersonic jet.
"Do you really need to save three hours on a trip that you've waited six weeks for, to get to Tokyo, or Seoul, or Paris?"
SHARE ME