Mini-Concordes 'future of supersonic travel'

Sir Ralph Robins foresees supersonic business jets

LONDON (CNN) -- A new generation of mini-Concordes could be the future of supersonic travel, Rolls-Royce chairman Sir Ralph Robins, has told CNN.com.

A question mark has been thrown over the future of Concorde following the Air France crash outside Paris in July, when all 109 passengers and crew and four people on the ground died.

All Air France and British Airways Concordes are currently grounded because the authorities withdrew the aircraft's certificate of airworthiness, pending the investigation into the tragedy.

There has been speculation that it could mean the end of supersonic travel - with some aviation experts claiming the noisy, gas-guzzling and highly-expensive Concorde is out of step with the modern world of cut-throat airline competition and strict environmental regulations.

But Sir Ralph, chairman of the second-largest aircraft engine maker in the world, believes smaller supersonic planes could be the way ahead.

He said: "They would probably have to be a similar shape -- with delta-shaped wings -- but 12-seaters. There may be enough people in the world rich enough to buy and operate those. We might see a development of those down the line."

Rolls-Royce manufactures all Concorde engines.

Sir Ralph said it is technically possible to create a second generation of supersonic plane, capable of carrying 300 people, but it could be too expensive to make commercial sense.

He said: "It would have to have very clever engines that were quiet on take-off and landing but sufficiently powerful to reach supersonic speeds in between, but that is technically possible.

"It's difficult to make the case commercially, though. You're talking about a huge investment - something like $20 to $30 billion - and you're not going to need many of them, probably around 50 aeroplanes."

Sir Ralph said that with that kind of expense, the development of any Concorde Mark 2 would have to be an international venture.

He said: "There would only be the one model of plane. You would need the U.S., Europe, Japan and Russia to work together. In the end it could be a political decision."

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Rolls-Royce
Civil Aviation Authority
British Airways
Air France

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