Supersonic Speed

Imagine knocking six hours off your flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco. Well, that could soon be a reality aboard the Aerion AS2. Designed by Aerion Corporation in collaboration with Airbus, this high-speed business jet will mark the return of commercial supersonic travel after the Concorde was retired in 2003. Flying at Mach 1.5 over the ocean—that’s one-and-ahalf times the speed of sound—and just below the sound barrier above land, this streamlined aircraft will be able to carry up to a dozen passengers in its 10-metre cabin and should be ready for test flights by 2021, entering service two years later. Aerion has started taking orders for the US$120 million jets, and the hype is already sky-high.