Aerion executives are at the Paris Air Show this week, with their biggest presence yet, conducting business from their own chalet. Their goal is to facilitate discussions with potential OEM partners and potential launch customers, as they continue to tweak the design for their proposed supersonic business jet. “The level of interest we are seeing … suggested to us it was time to raise our profile at Paris,” said Aerion Vice Chairman Brian Barents. “We expect in the course of this week to move the Aerion aircraft much closer to reality.” The company is seeking partners who will bear the cost of developing the estimated $80 million aircraft and bring it to market, an effort expected to take five years and $2 billion. The current initial phase of design and planning is fully funded by an investor group led by Robert Bass. The latest design includes a larger cabin, in addition to a lengthened aft fuselage and reduced tail surface area to provide improved takeoff performance, lighter weight and lower drag at cruise speed. Aerion Corp. is based in Reno, Nev.
