Comac’s newly revealed C949 concept promises to outfly Concorde in range and quietness, but its commercial future remains clouded by technical, political and safety challenges. Robbie Hodges reports

China’s state-owned aircraft manufacturer, Comac, has revealed the designs for a new supersonic aircraft that, once built, will be able to travel distances of up to 11,000km, or 6,800 miles, at 1.6 times faster than the speed of sound. The design of the C949 was unveiled in an academic paper published in March 2025. 

In many ways, the C949 is an improvement on Concorde – the preeminent supersonic jet, retired from commercial use in 2003. For instance, Concorde’s maximum range was 4,600 miles, meaning Comac’s plane delivers almost a 50% increase. The plane not only flies longer distances, but does so more quietly too, with sonic booms of 89.3 decibels to Concorde’s 105. This reduced noise pollution is largely due to the C949’s concave, reverse-camber fuselage. 

While it’s quieter and travels further than Concorde, it is also smaller with a much reduced passenger capacity. Concorde’s jets were able to transport approximately 100 passengers, whereas the C949 plane has been designed to accommodate between 28 and 48 passengers in a business-class configuration. 

The development of the C949 reflects growing global interest in supersonic aircraft, with many companies across the globe vying to create the next big success story. This new technological race runs in parallel to growing global tensions, raising concerns about the military implications of such developments. 

Most of the key contenders in the race are headquartered in the US. The X-59 aircraft – a joint venture between the US Space Agency, NASA, and US-based manufacturer Lockheed Martin – is perhaps the most prominent. Unveiled in 2023, it’s engineered to fly at an altitude of 55,000 feet (approximately 16,700 metres) while generating noise levels comparable to the sound of a car door closing, according to its creators. 

Would see the typical 12-13-hour flight from Beijing to Los Angeles reduced to just five hours, with Beijing to New York coming in at two hours. But these rapid journeys won’t be commercially available any time soon, with Comac anticipating that the planes will enter service in 2049. 

Prior to that, in 2035 it plans to launch the C929 – a twin-aisle jet that would compete with Boeing’s 787. And by 2039 it hopes to have rolled out a 400-seater C939 that will directly rival the service offered by Boeing’s 777X. 

Whether these next-generation supersonic jets will truly take flight in the commercial sphere remains uncertain. Despite the technical advances on paper, the shadow of Concorde’s tragic crash at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle in 2000 still lingers over the sector, fuelling caution among regulators and the public alike. 

While manufacturers like Comac and Lockheed Martin are pushing boundaries in speed, range and noise reduction, success will depend not only on engineering breakthroughs, but on overcoming economic, environmental and safety hurdles.The supersonic dream is being reimagined, but whether it becomes a viable reality for travellers remains an open question.