Legal Issues Facing the Next Generation of Supersonic Aircraft Published in New York Law Journal

06.13.2022

Stinson LLP Partner Roy Goldberg authored an article for the New York Law Journal that provides timely insight into some of the legal hurdles facing the reemergence of supersonic commercial aircraft.

The age of commercial supersonic aircrafts and flights could return in the near future, something that calls to mind the first Supersonic Transport Concorde introduced in the early 1970s. The next generation of supersonic aircrafts is said to be faster, more environmentally conscious and less sound-invasive than its predecessor, and new companies may help spur the return of supersonic aircrafts as soon as 2029.

"‘Boomtown’ or ‘Doomtown’: Will Legal Issues ‘Lower the Boom’ on the Next Generation of Supersonic Aircraft?" details the rise and fall of Concorde, the legal ramifications of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) restrictions on the current push for modern supersonic air travel and the fuel sustainability that must be achieved to have supersonic air travel be economically viable.

"Lighter and more efficient composite materials, combined with a new engine and airframe designs, may allow the industry to overcome the problems that doomed supersonic air transport in prior years," Goldberg writes. "Like large, dark clouds over the horizon, there are significant legal issues that must be overcome for the new aircraft to have the freedom to fly in the skies above us. Most fundamentally, aircraft manufacturers are seeking to be able to test their aircraft over land in the United States – and ideally operate flights over the U.S. (e.g., between N.Y. and L.A.), but the FAA continues to ban such flights."

Goldberg focuses his practice on commercial and regulatory matters with an emphasis on the transportation industry. He helps airlines and other aviation industry entities in regulatory challenges, manufacturers and importers in trade disputes, argues appeals, defends patent holders, and represents companies before arbitration panels throughout the United States and Europe.

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