Sydney to L.A. in seven hours: Virgin Australia say it’s on the cards

Within the next ten years, you’ll be able to fly from Sydney to L.A. in seven short hours, according to Virgin Australia boss John Borghetti.

Obviously this rules out being able to watch the entire O.J: Made In America doco series during the flight (you’ll miss the last half an hour or so) but despite this downside, there are benefits.

Namely, the quick flight. Borghetti made this bold claim during his Sir Reginald Ansett memorial lecture at the Safeskies conference in Canberra. “It is entirely reasonable to believe that in the next 10 years we will see supersonic jets safely and sustainably flying commercial passengers,” he told the audience. “This isn’t a far-off dream.”

Borghetti cited the Boom supersonic craft — the XB-1 supersonic demonstrator — which is in development at the moment and will be able to fly at a staggering 2335km/hour. The XB-1 is expected to be in the air from next year, with the company planning passenger flights by the early 2020s. So possibly within four years!