Aerion, a supersonic-jet maker has recently announced that that flight-service provider FlexJet has placed a firm order for 20 examples of the Aerion AS2 supersonic jet.

Aerion began taking order for the supersonic jet since last year with the recent order from FlexJet making the flight-service operator the firsts fleet operator to plan the utilization of the supersonic jet since the commercial usage of this unique type of jet back in 2003.

These luxury jets cost US$120 million and the 20 order placed puts the total order in the range of US$2.4 billion and Aeriron has made it known that the AS2 is able to transport between 8 and 12 passengers in its 30-foot-long cabin at a speed as fast as 990mph (Mach 1.5).

Being a super-fast airborne transport system with a range of about 5,466 miles, the AS2 is able to reduce transatlantic travel time by 3 hours and also shorten trans-pacific routes by 6 hours or even more

The chairman of FlexJet Kenn Ricci called the supersonic jet a “potential game changer for business travel”. The goal of both companies is to work together in designing a custom-made and premium cabin interior for the Flexjet fleet.

The fact that a lot of hours can be cut shorter which in turn makes traveling much faster and better puts international travelers to being more productive.

Aerion says 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 log about 250,000 miles in a year would fly for about 500 hours, while the same miles could be covered in the AS2 in about 300 hours. The difference for travelers is the equivalent of 25 eight-hour workdays.

Aerion’s partnership with commercial aeroplane manufacturer Airbus Group has grown and the company is hoping for a site to build a manufacturing facility.

Airbus will expand the resources it is contributing to the program, which include engineering, logistics planning, and management support. “The farther we proceed along the development path with Aerion, the greater our enthusiasm for this program and the deeper our commitment,” says Allan McArtor, chairman and CEO of 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 expected for 2021, with first deliveries of the jet expected for 2023.