A supersonic business jet (SSBJ) now makes economic sense, according to Oscar Garcia of InterFlight Global, an aviation consultancy that specializes in the issue. “We’ve done the study in two ways–on the air transportation side with the airlines, and with the corporate aviation side,” said the firm’s CEO. “On the airline side, the price premium cannot exceed 30 percent. On the corporate side, the price premium can reach up to 70 percent. The corporate and special-mission government side is much less price sensitive.”

Garcia's data shows that Aerion’s AS2 SSBJ is not even 45 percent more expensive than a ultra-long-range business jet. “I’m researching it for my clients, and the interesting thing is that the Aerion lifecycle cost, because you are flying it half the time [because it is twice as fast] is less than a Gulfstream G650 or a Bombardier Global 7000,” he said. “That's with the Aerion's direct operating costs at $14,000 to $15,000 an hour. It becomes very interesting. And the typical client is flying 12 fewer days a year” due to time savings.

He also thinks that the time is ripe for the U.S. Congress to revisit the national ban on supersonic flight over land. “Congress is looking at this issue again, maybe more than it ever has before. It is starting to look at the fact that we need speed, we need the ability for rapid reaction,” Garcia noted.

“It’s mostly for the military, but it is permeating into the civilian realm,” he added. “With good research results from Gulfstream and NASA, if that sonic boom gets reduced to a certain level, I wouldn't be surprised if the ban is lifted.” That could happen as early as 2020, Garcia believes.

He envisions an SSBJ as just the first step in developing a pathway to regular suborbital transportation, perhaps as early as 2035. “Propulsion remains the main challenge,” Garcia concluded.