The US House of Representatives passed legislation aimed at opening the skies to civil supersonic flight over land, a step supporters say could usher in a new era of air travel in the United States.
The bill, approved by voice vote on March 24, 2026, would require the FAA to revise its rules within a year to allow civil aircraft to fly faster than Mach 1 over land without special authorization, provided no sonic boom reaches the ground.
The measure, H.R. 3410, is titled the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act. It targets a long-standing FAA ban dating to 1973, when regulators barred overland civil supersonic flight because of noise concerns tied to sonic booms. While Concorde later operated transatlantic supersonic service, the US ban effectively shut the door on routine overland operations in the domestic market.
Under the House-passed bill, the FAA would be required to issue or revise regulations permitting supersonic operations in the national airspace system. The legislation also directs the agency to establish noise standards for those aircraft by April 1, 2027.
Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who chairs the House aviation subcommittee, has framed the bill as both a technology and competitiveness issue. In a statement after the vote, Nehls said the legislation is intended to keep the United States from falling behind in aviation innovation and to press forward President Donald Trump’s executive order from last year directing the FAA to revisit the ban.
Industry groups quickly backed the House action. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) said the bill would help restore US leadership in aviation by requiring the FAA to create a framework for supersonic flight as long as aircraft are operated so that no sonic boom reaches the ground. The association has argued that advances in low-boom technology justify a new regulatory approach.
The push comes as Boom Supersonic continues work on future commercial supersonic aircraft and has used its XB-1 test program to show that quieter supersonic flight is technically achievable. NASA has also begun testing of the Lockheed Martin X-59 low-boom supersonic jet.
The House vote does not by itself change FAA rules. The bill still needs Senate approval before it can become law. If the Senate follows suit, the next phase would shift to the FAA, where the agency’s task would be to develop the new standards for boom, noise, and aircraft certification.
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