GREENSBORO, N.C. — A company plans to build a new generation of supersonic airplanes at the Piedmont-Triad International Airport, the governor announced Wednesday.
State and local government boards approved more than $100 million in economic incentives this week to seal the deal with Colorado-based Boom Technology Inc. The company’s Boom Supersonic division is expected to create more than 1,750 jobs at the manufacturing and testing facility at the Greensboro airport, Gov. Roy Cooper said.
"It is both poetic and logical that Boom Supersonic would choose the state that’s first in flight for its first manufacturing plant," the governor said. "Like the success of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, this innovative company will succeed by transforming passenger air travel with speed and sustainable energy."
The cash incentives, to be paid over 20 years, are based on the company hitting investment and job creation goals, according to the Associated Press. The company is expected to invest $500 million by the end of the decade.
A company representative said Boom expects to have 2,400 jobs at its "Overture Superfactory" by 2032. The 400,000-square-foot facility will be built on a 65-acre campus at the airport.
Boom plans to build and test new supersonic jets at the airport. The last supersonic jet, the Concorde, was retired almost 20 years ago.
The company said its Boom supersonic jet, dubbed the Overture, would almost halve long-haul flights. The plane would cut the six-and-a-half-hour flight from New York to London down to three-and-a-half hours, the company said.
The 205-foot plane would carry 65 to 88 passengers and travel at Mach 1.7, according to the company. The planes would cruise higher than a normal flight, at 60,000 feet, the company said.
Boom Supersonic hopes to begin testing planes in 2025 and have planes in commercial service by 2029, the company said.
Delta and Japan Airlines have already places orders or put options on Boom planes, the company said. Boom also has a contract with the United States Air Force to help with development and look at how its technology can be used by government and the military.
Boom said it's supersonic planes will fly with net-zero carbon emissions using sustainable jet fuel.
This is the second major economic announcement for the Triad region. Last month, Toyota announced that it would build an electric vehicle battery plant in Randolph County, not far from Greensboro. That project is expected to bring more than 1,700 new jobs to the area.
Cooper and other elected leaders from the General Assembly and the Triad gathered in the cold outside PTI Airport Wednesday afternoon to announce Boom project in Greensboro.
“Boom Supersonic’s decision to build its new campus in North Carolina proves once again that we are a top state for job creators and have a deep pool of talented workers,” said North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, who represents part of the Triad region.
“Over the past decade we’ve turned North Carolina into a jobs-friendly state with low taxes, reasonable regulations and a world-class education system. Today’s announcement is a result of that transformation,” Berger said.
“We’re excited to see even more new jobs and investment come to North Carolina thanks to the thriving economic environment in our state,” said North Carolina Speaker of the House Tim Moore. “Boom Supersonic will write the next chapter of North Carolina’s great aviation story, and they’ll do it right here in the Piedmont Triad region.”