Aerion moves forward on plans for supersonic jet

It looks like plans are moving along on a supersonic jet that could get passengers between New York and London in 4.5 hours. Aerion, which is working with Airbus Group on plans for a supersonic business jet by 2021, announced it is now looking for a manufacturing location in the US.

Conceptual drawing of the AS2 Supersonic business jet by Aerion and Airbus. Image by Aerion

Producing this type of plane will require the location to have a few special features, according to the company, such as a 9,000-foot runway and a location within 200 nautical miles of a “supersonic flight test area,” which would most likely be located offshore.

Aerion is planning to announce the location in the first half of 2016 and break ground in 2018, according to a news release. While the first flight is planned for 2021, the plane would be expected to enter into service in 2023.

Supersonic commercial flights have not happened since Concorde jets were grounded in 2003.

While Aerion’s plane may only be an option for jet-setting CEOs, more companies are looking at ways to get around the world faster.

Currently, a group of aviation enthusiasts called Club Concorde has raised the money to buy one and is looking to return the supersonic jet, which could cross the Atlantic in less than four hours, to the skies.

The Concorde, which was so fast it created a sonic boom, was only allowed to break the sound barrier over the ocean and therefore was mainly used for transatlantic flights.

Airbus has patented plans for a hypersonic plane that could get from London to New York in an hour and would be twice as fast as the Concorde. Even NASA is part of a team with Lockheed Martin exploring ways to reduce jet engine noise of supersonic aircraft to help travellers once again break the speed of sound.