Executive Order: Leading the World in Supersonic Flight
President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on Friday, June 6, 2025, addressing the United States’ roll in leading the world in supersonic flight. This order was issued with the purpose of rolling back regulations on supersonic aviation with claims that advances in aerospace engineering, materials science, and noise reduction now make supersonic flight “not just possible, but safe, sustainable, and commercially viable.”
The order claims that America once led the world in supersonic aviation, but that decades of regulations have “stifled” and “grounded” progress.
Section 2 of the order instructs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take the necessary steps to repeal the prohibition on overland supersonic flight in 14 CFR 91.817 within 180 days of the release of this order. Additionally, the order instructs the Administrator of the FAA to take immediate steps to repeal 14CFR 91.819 and 91.821, which will remove additional regulatory barriers that “hinder the advancement of supersonic aviation.”
Within 18 months of the order, the Administrator of the FAA has been instructed to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish a standard for supersonic aircraft noise certification under 14 CFR Part 36 and amend 14 CFR 91.817, which will define acceptable noise thresholds for takeoff, landing, and en-route supersonic operation based on an evaluation further outlined in the order.
The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is instructed to consult with the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Transportation, and Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to coordinate supersonic research and development though the National Science and Technology Council. This coordination will seek to research, develop, test, and evaluate regulations, commercial viability, and operational integration of supersonic aircraft into the National Airspace System using federal funds. The Director of the OSTP is instructed to provide the results of the coordinated efforts to inform the development of future procedure, regulations, and policies, including those related to the certification of civil supersonic aircraft, noise, and environmental standards.
The Administrator of the FAA will be supervised by the Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of State to ensure that bilateral aviation safety agreements with foreign aviation authorities are secured according to international supersonic aircraft safety operational standards.