FAA proposes noise standard aimed at bringing supersonic passenger flights back over U.S. land

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a noise-based certification standard that could help clear a regulatory path for civil supersonic flights over the continental United States, the Transportation Department announced June 30, 2026.

The proposal is an important step for manufacturers developing aircraft designed to travel faster than conventional passenger planes. But it does not authorize immediate commercial supersonic service, certify an aircraft or establish when passengers will begin flying on one.

What the proposal would do

The FAA’s proposed standard is intended to give supersonic-aircraft manufacturers guidance they can use to finalize aircraft designs. The department said the policy is aimed at aircraft that can operate without producing a sonic boom that would otherwise be disruptive on the ground.

A sonic boom is the noise associated with an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound. The proposal focuses on noise-based certification for civil supersonic aircraft operating in U.S. airspace. That makes it a national aviation-policy action with potential consequences for aircraft manufacturers, airlines and future passengers.

For travelers, the practical implication is long term rather than immediate. If aircraft eventually meet the applicable requirements and receive certification, the regulatory framework could support faster passenger travel over the continental United States. The proposal itself does not mean that faster-than-sound flights are about to begin.

A second noise rule is planned

The Transportation Department said the FAA plans to propose a separate rule later in 2026 addressing landing and takeoff noise standards. That means the June 30 action is not the department’s only planned step on supersonic-aircraft noise.

The distinction matters because an aircraft’s noise profile can involve more than its operation at cruising speed. The current proposal concerns a noise-based certification standard, while the planned second rule is expected to address noise during takeoff and landing. The approved announcement does not provide the technical limits for either rule.

The FAA’s rulemaking index, published in the agency’s recently published rulemaking documents, confirms active aviation rulemaking activity in 2026. The index does not establish a final timetable for the supersonic rules or indicate when a commercial aircraft will be certified.

What happens next

The June 30 announcement begins a rulemaking process; it is not a final regulation. The source material available for this report does not provide a public-comment deadline, a final-rule timetable or a date for commercial passenger service.

Manufacturers will still need to develop aircraft that satisfy the eventual requirements. The full proposed rule would also need to be reviewed to determine the specific noise limits, the technical certification requirements and how the standards would apply to future aircraft designs.

The next known policy step is the FAA’s planned proposal on takeoff and landing noise later in 2026. Until those rules advance and an aircraft is certified, the proposal should be understood as a framework-setting measure rather than a launch date for a new passenger service.

The department’s announcement presents the effort as a way to enable civil supersonic aircraft to operate over U.S. land while addressing disruptive ground noise. Whether that goal is achieved will depend on the final standards, the aircraft that manufacturers produce and the subsequent certification process.