The US is clearing the runway for air taxis and supersonic jets
Washington is using federal rulemaking and executive pressure to push two long-stalled aviation frontiers into commercial service at once.
July 21, 2026 – 10:47 am
Image by: Manoj Kumar Tuteja / Shutterstock
The United States is moving to push two long-stalled aviation frontiers into commercial service simultaneously, using federal rulemaking and White House pressure to speed up electric air taxis and civil supersonic flight towards market. This effort involves the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of Transportation, and a set of executive orders signed in June 2025, which could reshape American travel over the next decade.
On the supersonic side, the FAA has published a proposed rule that would end a prohibition in place since 1973, marking a potential turning point for the long-promised supersonic revival. This ban, written into 14 CFR 91.817, has prevented civil aircraft from exceeding Mach 1 over US land for more than five decades, due to public opposition in the 1960s when test flights over cities like Oklahoma City produced sonic booms that broke windows and generated thousands of damage complaints.
The FAA’s new proposal would replace this outright speed limit with an interim, noise-based standard. Aircraft could fly faster than sound over land as long as the sonic boom overpressure measured at the surface stays at or below 0.11 pounds per square foot, ensuring the boom isn’t heard on the ground.
Docket FAA-2026-6935 is open for public comment until August 17, 2026, with a second rule covering takeoff and landing noise expected later in the year. The FAA aims to finalize both rules by mid-2027.
"This means we can ultimately repeal the ban from the 1970s on supersonic flight over US territory while minimizing noise impacts," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
This change follows Executive Order 14304, "Leading the World in Supersonic Flight," which directed the agency to scrap the overland ban and set the interim noise standard. It’s a clear win for firms betting on faster travel, including:
- Boom Supersonic based in Colorado, whose Overture jet has drawn pre-orders from major carriers.
- Spike Aerospace based in Atlanta.
- United Airlines, which has agreed to buy up to 50 Overture jets, with service targeted around the end of the decade.
Despite these developments, the technology remains expensive, and flights are unlikely to be cheap.
Air taxis are on a parallel track. Companion orders established an eVTOL integration pilot program, and the FAA has since selected eight projects spanning 26 states, running for three years, allowing operators to fly before full certification is complete.
Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, and Wisk are among the operators named, with testing potentially beginning as early as this summer. Planned projects include Manhattan heliport services run with the Port Authority and regional links across Texas connecting Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, part of a bet that short electric hops can undercut congested road journeys.
The commercial case is already being demonstrated, with pre-orders and investments indicating a bright future for these aviation innovations.