One year after Boom Supersonic announced its intention to manufacture what’s been called the world’s fastest airliner in North Carolina, the company held an official groundbreaking for its new facility at Piedmont Triad International airport Thursday.
The Superfactory will be home to the final assembly line, test facility, and customer delivery center for the aerospace startup’s airliner, Overture. Boom president Kathy Savitt thanked the public officials in attendance for their leadership. She cited the state’s large skilled workforce, access to renowned universities, and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean for test flights as some of the compelling reasons for choosing the Tar Heel State as the company’s manufacturing home.
"We were deeply, and continue to be, deeply impressed by North Carolina’s growth in the aerospace manufacturing sector — in fact, it’s three times faster than the U.S. national average — and new home to more than 200 aerospace companies, and hundreds more in the supply chain," said Savitt.
Among the dozens of local, city, and state elected officials in attendance were Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and Governor Roy Cooper who each cheered the bipartisan work that went on behind the scenes to bring Boom to the Triad. Cooper applauded the company’s commitment to creating a LEED-certified plant and jets run on sustainable aviation fuels. He said that an environmental focus was the perfect fit for the state, especially following the additions of Toyota Battery Manufacturing and VinFast electric vehicle manufacturing here.
"And I think a key to that success has been clean energy and aeronautics," said Cooper. "When you look at clean energy in North Carolina, we are becoming the place that people are looking to for clean energy companies."
Boom plans to focus on the construction of the Overture Superfactory this year. The company’s stated goal is to hire more than 2,400 workers there by 2032.