United CEO Says Boom's Overture Won't Fly by 2029; Boom Pivots to Data Center Turbines

3.3 · 1d ago · US · FINANCE

The Facts

  • United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said on the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast (appeared Oct 28, 2026) that Boom's 2029 Overture delivery timeline 'is not going to happen in '29—it's going to take longer.' Ars Technica only
  • Kirby said Boom has 'a lot of hurdles to overcome' including FAA certification and that success is not guaranteed; in March he put the chances of Overture entering commercial service at '50-50.' Ars Technica only
  • On Oct 22, 2026, Boom unveiled a factory in Centennial, Colorado, to produce a 42-megawatt natural gas turbine called Superpower for AI data centers; Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis attended. Ars Technica only
  • Boom aims to deliver its first gas turbines in mid-2027, with annual production of 25 turbines in 2028 and 50 by 2029. Ars Technica only
  • Boom CEO Blake Scholl acknowledged on X on Sept 25 the loss of a $1.25 billion deal under which Crusoe would have bought 29 Boom turbines; he said Boom will deliver about 250MW of Superpowers next year to other sites, without naming customers. Ars Technica only
Dive deeper · 3 more factsShow less
  • Boom has conditional agreements with American Airlines, Japan Airlines and United Airlines involving non-refundable deposits of undisclosed amounts. Ars Technica only
  • In June 2026 the FAA proposed a rule overturning the long-standing ban on commercial supersonic flights over the US, following an executive order from President Trump. Ars Technica only
  • Boom's Overture factory at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, NC, completed in 2024, has mostly sat dormant; North Carolina provided more than $50 million in funding. Ars Technica only

Context

Boom Supersonic is developing the Overture supersonic airliner while building a gas turbine business to supply power to AI data centers. One of its launch customers, United Airlines, has publicly said the 2029 delivery target is unlikely to be met.

Boom flew its XB-1 demonstrator in 2024 and 2025. Ars Technica said it had asked Boom for comment.

How the Agent Panel Scored This

Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 1.

4 Business Analyst The concrete events are a factory unveiling for a gas turbine business and a CEO podcast comment that Overture's timeline will slip, with the loss of a $1.25B Crusoe deal being a notable but already-reported setback, so this is a moderate-to-minor news item with limited broad economic impact.
3 News Editor The story centers on a CEO podcast statement about delayed timelines plus a company pivot whose concrete event (the Oct 22 factory unveiling) is a niche corporate business move with limited immediate impact on many people.
3 Informed Citizen The story mainly reports a CEO's comments about a delayed timeline and a company pivot to turbines, which is a concrete business action but affects few ordinary people and will likely not matter in a week.

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