( 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 . Expertise from Airbus ' Defence and Space Division . Using its proprietary supersonic laminar flow technology , Aerion says the AS2 will fly at Mach 1.6 ( 1,217 mph ) . The Airbus group 's Defence and Space Division will provide technical and certification support to Aerion , with its engineers working with the company in Nevada . According to the U.S.-based aviation consulting firm Leeham Company , the aircraft 's engine partner has n't yet been announced . Aerion says the AS2 's newly designed wings reduce overall drag by 20 % , allowing for lower fuel consumption and longer range . Its 30-foot-long cabin is forecast to seat up to 12 passengers in business-style comfort . All seats can be berthed to sleep four on overnight flights . The projected price of the AS2 is more than $ 100 million . Aerion hopes to begin test flights by 2019 . Race to develop supersonic biz jets . A handful of companies are developing private supersonic business jets . Boston-based Spike Aerospace 's S-512 Supersonic Jet is designed to fly at Mach 1.6 , while seating 12 to 18 passengers . The company says the plane will fly from London to New York in three hours and from Los Angeles to Tokyo in six hours . UK-based HyperMach is developing the SonicStar , a business jet it claims will be capable of reaching Mach 4 ( about 2,600 mph , or almost twice the speed of the Concorde ) , and which it says will be able to make the flight from New York to Dubai `` in the time it takes to watch an inflight movie . '' The company has said the plane could enter production in the 2020s . The world 's only supersonic passenger jet service ended in October 2003 when British Airways retired the Concorde from service . The Concorde had a cruising speed of 1,350 mph , more than twice the speed of sound . A typical London to New York flight took a little less than three and a half hours , as opposed to about eight hours for subsonic flights . Modern commercial long-haul jets typically cruise at speeds between 480 and 560 mph .
Nevada-based Aerion and Airbus announce collaboration on AS2 supersonic business jet . Deal `` kicks the ( supersonic ) program into high gear , '' says Aerion CEO . AS2 will trim three hours off flight time from Paris to Washington . A handful of companies are racing to develop private supersonic jets .