Leading the World in Supersonic Flight

The order directs the FAA Administrator to begin rulemaking to repeal 14 CFR 91.817, which currently prohibits overland supersonic flight, and to establish an interim noise-based certification standard in its place — both within 180 days. The FAA must also take immediate steps to repeal two related regulations (14 CFR 91.819 and 91.821) that impose additional barriers to supersonic aviation. Within 18 months, the FAA must issue a proposed rule defining noise thresholds for supersonic takeoff, landing, and en-route operation; a final rule must follow within 24 months. The order also tells the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to coordinate supersonic research and development across agencies and share results with the FAA to inform those rules.

On the international side, the Secretary of Transportation and FAA Administrator are directed to engage the International Civil Aviation Organization to seek global alignment on supersonic standards and to pursue bilateral aviation safety agreements with foreign authorities. The order does not itself lift the overland supersonic ban — that requires completed rulemaking — and it is subject to applicable law and available appropriations.

Aerospace companies and startups developing commercial supersonic aircraft, airlines that could eventually operate supersonic routes, communities beneath proposed supersonic flight corridors who would be subject to new noise standards, and foreign aviation authorities engaged in bilateral safety agreements.

If the FAA successfully completes rulemaking, commercial supersonic aircraft could fly over the continental U.S. for the first time in over 50 years, potentially cutting transcontinental flight times dramatically. Noise standards will determine how close supersonic routes can come to populated areas, directly affecting communities under flight paths.

The implementation arc runs in two overlapping tracks. The FAA must produce an interim noise standard and begin repealing the overland ban within 180 days, then follow with a formal proposed rule at 18 months and a final rule at 24 months — each step informed by R&D data that OSTP coordinates across Defense, Commerce, Transportation, and NASA through the National Science and Technology Council. International engagement with ICAO and bilateral partners runs concurrently. Enforcement of deadlines is not specified beyond the order's directives; the entire scheme is subject to available appropriations and applicable administrative law.