Boom Supersonic picks North Carolina to build, test ultra-fast planes

Boom Supersonic, which is developing ultra-fast airplanes it believes will lead to the return of commercial supersonic flights, has picked Greensboro, N.C., to build and test those planes.

The Greensboro-based plant, which is expected to employ 1,750 workers by the end of the decade, is the latest example of a new aviation manufacturing facility being built in the region. In the last 11 years, Boeing and Airbus have established new final assembly plants in North Charleston, S.C., and Mobile, Ala., respectively.

“This is the right choice for us and we couldn’t be more excited,” Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic told CNBC. “Greensboro brings a significant, local skilled labor population and there are more than two hundred aerospace suppliers in the state. Many will be key suppliers for The Overture.”

The Overture is Boom’s first commercial supersonic plane. The company plans to start building the plane in 2024, with the first one rolling off the line in 2025 and the initial test flight set for 2026. If all goes as planned, Boom’s inaugural supersonic jet would enter commercial service by 2029.

One of North Carolina’s state slogans, “First in Flight,” pays tribute to the Wright Brothers making the first successful flight at Kitty Hawk. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper acknowledged the state’s heritage in a release announcing the Boom plant. “It is both poetic and logical that Boom Supersonic would choose the state that’s first in flight for its first manufacturing plant,” he said.

While Boom is based in Denver and will continue designing aircraft at its headquarters, it chose Greensboro, in part, because of its short distance from the Atlantic coast.  “The proximity to the ocean is an important factor,” Scholl said. “The vast majority of our flight tests will be over the water, where the plane can speed up so there is not a sonic boom over populated areas.”

Boom says the Overture will fly at a top speed of Mach 1.7, or about 1,300 mph, allowing it to shave hours off of some of the longest international flights. For example, the company says the new plane will fly from Tokyo to Seattle in four and a half hours, instead of the typical flight time of eight and a half hours.

United Airlines has ordered 15 Overture supersonic planes.

CNBC’s Meghan Reeder contributed to the report

Correction: This article was updated to correct the number of people the plant expected to employ by the end of the decade. It’s 1,750.