Written by Bianca Bahamondes and Justine Golata
There’s a new contender in the race to bring supersonic travel back to the masses
Plans announced back in 2019 for the Boom Supersonic airliner, called ‘Overture,” to make it possible to fly from London to New York in three hours and 15 minutes may now have some competition.
A new airliner, Aerion has entered the race to bring supersonic flights to travelers. According to Robb Report, the company is building new headquarters in Melbourne, Florida. Aerion plans to start productions on their AS2 jets by next year—20 of which have recently been purchased by NetJets, each totaling to $120 million.
Aerion’s website shares their vision of “building a future where humanity can travel between any two points on our planet within three hours.”
Previously mentioned airline, Overture is said to travel at a speed that’s 2.6 times faster than any commercial aircrafts now at speeds of 1,687 mph (100mph faster than the Concorde!) upon its completion. Whereas the Aerion AS2 jet promises travel at speed of Mach 1.4, (1,000MPH) – 150% faster than today’s fastest business jets, and seats a capacity of 8-10 passengers.
“We are committed to bringing people closer together in a more vibrant and compassionate world where distance is no longer a barrier, and to innovation that is kind to our planet,” said Aerion CEO, President and Chairman, Tom Vice.
The airline promises a flight from NYC to London just under 3 hours.
According to the airlines website, the future aircraft will include:
- Sustainable luxury design
- Aerion proprietary seating
- WhisperQuiet™ cabin and Purity™ climate control
- High-speed connectivity and immersive environment
- Integrated digital lifestyle with instinctive user interface
- Full spectrum OLED lighting
- Complete kitchen functionality with advanced appliance suite
There have been many concerns surrounding supersonic travel in regards to the environment. In response, Aerion has addressed climate concerns and offered their solutions such as carbon neutral operations, AS2 jet to accept 100% engineered synthetic fuels, use of sustainable technology, and even partnered with Carbon Engineering to further address climate change.
If all goes as planned, Aerion AS2 jet flights will begin by 2025!
featured image source: Facebook/ Aerion Supersonic