The Assessment of Supersonic Transport Operating Costs

The fixed plus variable cost concept is frequently employed in the analysis of productive industrial processes. This paper discusses application of this concept to the assessment of the direct operating costs of a proposed supersonic transport aircraft.

It is shown that the unit variable cost is approximately the same for the proposed supersonic transport airplane as it is for current subsonic long range jet transports. The unit fixed cost, however, is four times as great for the supersonic transport as it is for subsonic transports.

The factors which cause the increased fixed costs in the supersonic transport are identified.