Aerion wanted to build quiet business jets that fly as fast as the Concorde once did. Nothing comes of that, the company ceases operations. Aerion Supersonic was supposed to build jets that were twice as fast as most passenger aircraft. As reported by the Florida Today newspaper, the company cannot raise the money to build its AS2 business jet.
Aerion boss Tom Vice told CNBC in early 2020 that the development of the AS2 is expected to cost $4 billion. A billion US dollars has already been spent on the development of the engine, it was said in 2020. Dailyadvent reported in 2021 that Aerion was trying to go public through a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) acquisition company. This plan should bring in the necessary money for further development but has now apparently failed.
The development of the Aerion AS2 started in 2014. For example, the jet should shorten the flight route Frankfurt – Washington DC by three hours compared to a scheduled flight. The aircraft should reach 1.5 times the speed of sound and offer space for up to twelve passengers.
The fastest passenger aircraft is currently the Cessna Citation X + with a Maximum Operating Mach Number (MMO) of 0.935. Bombardier Global 7500, Bombardier Global 8000, Gulfstream G700, Gulfstream G650ER, Gulfstream G600 and Gulfstream G700 achieve a value of 0.93 MMO.
The MMO is the ratio of the maximum speed of the aircraft to the speed of sound. With a value of 1, the speed of sound is reached.
The first AS2 should actually fly by 2024. Commercial operation should start in 2026.
This year Aerion also announced the AS3. The plane was supposed to fly at four times the speed of sound, around 4,900 km / h, and a flight across the Pacific from Tokyo to Los Angeles would take less than three hours. According to Aerion, the range of the aircraft should be just under 13,000 kilometers. It should accommodate up to 50 passengers.