Bombardier Global 8000 Business Jet Rated Mach 0.94, Fastest Civilian Aircraft Since Concorde

The Bombardier Global 8000 is a business jet with a maximum top speed of Mach 0.94, making it the fastest civilian aircraft since the Concorde. Bombardier says it is the first business jet to reach supersonic speeds in testing.

Two GE Passport engines power the aircraft, together producing 18,920 pounds of thrust. Typical cruise speed is Mach 0.85, with a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 and an ultra-high-speed cruise of Mach 0.92.

The Global 8000 has a range of 8,000 nautical miles, enough for routes such as Dubai to Houston or London to Perth. It carries up to 19 occupants, with a cabin altitude of 2,900 feet, onboard high-speed internet and four separate living spaces. The jet is estimated to cost around $78 million, with annual operating costs of about $1 million.

The Concorde first flew in 1969 and made its last flight in 2003, reaching about Mach 2.04. Only 20 were built, six of which never flew passengers.

Concorde flights were restricted to transoceanic routes because of sonic booms and noise, and the aircraft burned twice as much fuel as a Boeing 747. A July 25, 2000 crash killed 113 passengers. No supersonic commercial jet has flown since 2003.

The Global 8000 competes at the top of the business jet market by combining speed with very long range and a large cabin. Its Mach 0.94 top speed sits well below the Concorde's Mach 2.04, so the comparison describes the fastest point reached by civilian aircraft since 2003, not a return to supersonic travel.

The regulatory and noise barriers that confined the Concorde to transoceanic routes still shape any supersonic effort. NASA's Quesst mission aims to develop a plane that produces only a sonic thump rather than a full sonic boom, and Boom Supersonic has tested its XB-1 jet. Whether those programmes can open overland supersonic routes is the question that decides if speed becomes a lasting differentiator in this segment.