Boom Supersonic Launches Forum to Help Build the Future of Sustainable Travel
Boom Supersonic, the company building the world's fastest and most sustainable supersonic airliner, today announced the launch of its Sustainable Travel Forum to provide a symposium for forging relationships, exchanging ideas, and developing solutions to define and build the future of sustainable travel.
"Sustainability has always been core to our mission at Boom. Travel is a net good for humanity-allowing us to experience our world and connect to one another. Supersonic flight will unlock countless new experiences, but it comes with a tremendous responsibility to help scale sustainable innovation," said Kathy Savitt, President and Chief Commercial Officer of Boom Supersonic. "Through the Sustainable Travel Forum we can harness the collective power of our founding members and set a precedent for a more sustainable future of travel."
Forum members will convene annually to foster dialogue, ally industries and inspire cross-sectoral solutions, and the Forum's inaugural summit is planned for late 2021. Through meetings and exclusive events, the Sustainable Travel Forum will engage with world sustainability experts and speakers to develop actionable learnings and create catalytic tools for change. In addition, Forum members will contribute to thought leadership panels and networking sessions that highlight a specific area of expertise or introduce new environmental trends or technologies.
With the launch of the Forum, Boom named 13 founding members from across the aviation and travel sectors. The founding members joining the Sustainable Travel Forum include:
- Tori Emerson Barnes, U.S. Travel Association, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs and Policy
- Tim Brown, IDEO, Executive Chair; kyu Collective, Vice Chair; Boom Supersonic, Advisor
- Brian K. Elson, Rolls-Royce, Vice President, Government Relations
- Andrew Hogg, Tourism Australia, Executive General Manager, Eastern Markets and Aviation
- Nora Lovell Marchant, American Express Global Business Travel, Vice President, Global Sustainability
- Dr. Lourdes Maurice, FAA Office of Environment and Energy, Former Executive Director; Boom Supersonic, Advisor
- Rob McGinnis, Prometheus Fuels, CEO
- Jerry Mpufane, South African Tourism North America, President
- Ben Murphy, Boom Supersonic, Head of Sustainability
- Takahiro Nakashima, Japan Airlines, Advisor, ESG Promotion Department
- Lauren Riley, United Airlines, Managing Director, Global Environmental Affairs and Sustainability
- Madge Thomas, American Express, President of the American Express Foundation and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility
- Christopher Wendel, Volta Charging, Co-Founder and President
The creation of the Sustainable Travel Forum by Boom is another step the company is taking as part of its sustainability efforts. Boom has committed to achieving net-zero carbon as a company by 2025 and has partnered with environmentally-forward organizations like The Climate Pledge and the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI).
Overture, the Boom supersonic airliner, is expected to be the first large commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, optimized to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The company recently announced that United placed an order for 15 Overture aircraft, and the airline has committed to fly Overture at net-zero carbon, including through the use of 100% sustainable aviation fuels. Boom is aiming to roll out Overture in 2025, fly in 2026 and carry passengers by 2029.