Ten years after the Concorde disaster at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, and seven years after the turbojet-powered airliners were finally grounded, the age of supersonic air transport is about to recommence.

Nevada’s Aerion Corporation is advertising its Aerion Supersonic Business Jet (SBJ), described as an $80 million, super fast executive plane which the company says is able to reach a speed of Mach 1.5 (1,840 km/h).

This Aerion SBJ will make it possible to fly from Paris to New York in four hours and 14 minutes, shaving three hours off the trip compared to conventional jets.

And even in the United States, where supersonic flight is banned because of Federal Aviation Administration sonic boom restrictions, the jet will be able to fly at a high subsonic speed of Mach 0.98 because of its unique, patented wing design, reducing coast-to-coast travel by 41 minutes vs. conventional aircraft.

The plane in its current version can carry up to 12 passengers, but there is also a 50-seat version  in the pipeline (half the capacity of the Concorde!).

The company said it had already received $4 billion in orders for the jet, which is still being tested. The SBJ is expected to be launched in 2014.

Via Gulf News