India Inc goes supersonic, books five Mach 1.6 jets

Have you ever fancied flying from Mumbai to Singapore in three hours flat (half the time taken by a commercial airliner) or taking off from Dubai to London in five hours or, for that matter, taking a quick trip between Mumbai-Delhi in just nearly half an hour?
That's what Aerion Corporation's supersonic business jet will exactly do for you. It is the speed that has caught the fancy of globe trotting Indian corporates - combining speeds of 1.15 Mach over land and 1.6 Mach over sea, beating the sound barrier of 760 mph(1 Mach). The aircraft seats eight to 12 passengers in stand-up comfort as well.
However, as you might have guessed, it comes at a price. At a cool $80 million (Rs 320 crore), it costs at least $20 million more than the current top-of-the-line business jets, or b-jets, rolled out by Gulfstream or Bombardier in the ultra long-haul range.
That, however, is not a deterrent for India Inc which has already gone ahead and booked at least five orders with Aerion Corporation, the Nevada company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
But it is some more time before the aircraft finally is delivered - in 2016 - as against the roll-out year of 2014.
12/03/08 Business Standard/Rediff

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Mar 2008, New Mar 2008