(CNN) — How would you like to trim three hours off the current commercial jet flight time between Paris and Washington, D.C.?
Or two hours and 48 minutes off the flight between New York and Sao Paulo?
Or two and a half hours between Tokyo and Singapore?
With its Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet, the Nevada-based Aerion Corporation aims to do just that.
Now it has a gigantic new partner to help it realize those ambitions: Airbus.
The two companies announced this week that they’ll collaborate on technologies and “capabilities in design, manufacturing and certification” to advance the development of the AS2.
“This is a major step forward for Aerion,” said Aerion chairman and principal investor, Robert M. Bass in a statement. “It puts us solidly on track toward our objective of certifying the world’s first supersonic business jet in 2021.”
“This agreement accomplishes two major objectives,” said Aerion CEO Doug Nichols. “It provides validation from the industry leader in aerospace innovation, and it decisively kicks the program into high gear. Each company will benefit.”
Aerion was founded in 2002 with the intention of commercializing supersonic aviation technology.
