Supersonic jet maker Aerion recently announced that flight service provider Flexjet placed a firm order for 20 examples of the supersonic jet Aerion AS2 – for which the company started taking orders last year – making Flexjet the first fleet operator for the plane, the first supersonic jet available to the public since the commercial supersonic trip ended in 2003.
Each jet is priced at $ 120 million, for a total order potential of $ 2.4 billion. Aerion says the AS2 will transport 8 to 12 passengers in a 30-foot-long cabin at speeds as fast as Mach 1.5 (990 mph). With a range of up to 5,466 miles, AS2 reduces transatlantic travel time by 3 hours and shortens transpacific routes by 6 hours or more.
Aerion Corp. signed an agreement with NetJets for 20 of its supersonic jets
Courtesy Aerion Corp.
Flexjet President Kenn Ricci called the plane “a potential game changer for business travel.” Flexjet and Aerion will work together to design a custom premium cabin interior for the Flexjet fleet. Aerion says that for busy international travelers, all that extra speed quickly adds up to more productive days and even weeks over the course of a year. For example, a typical long-range business jet that would record about 250,000 miles in a year would fly for about 500 hours, while the same miles could be traveled on AS2 in about 300 hours. The difference for travelers is equivalent to 25 working days of eight hours.
Aerion also announced that its partnership with the Airbus Group has grown, and the company is now looking for a location to build a factory. Airbus will expand the resources it is contributing to the program, which include engineering, logistical planning and administrative support. “The further we go on the development path with Aerion, the greater our enthusiasm for this program and the deeper our commitment,” said Allan McArtor, president and CEO of the Airbus Group. “Under our new agreement, our two companies are working as one to bring Aerion’s supersonic AS2 to the business jet market.” The first flight is scheduled for 2021, with the first deliveries of the jet scheduled for 2023.