Frankfurt to Dubai in 90 minutes? Europe enters the hypersonic plane race | CNN

<strong>Destinus:</strong> A new European startup called Destinus has ambitious plans to launch commercial hypersonic flights by the 2030s.

Destinus: A new European startup called Destinus has ambitious plans to launch commercial hypersonic flights by the 2030s.

Courtesy Destinus

<strong>Second prototype:</strong> This is Eiger, the company's second prototype, which successfully completed test flights last year.

Second prototype: This is Eiger, the company's second prototype, which successfully completed test flights last year.

Courtesy Destinus

<strong>Hydrogen: </strong>Destinus is now testing its in-house built afterburner technology using hydrogen and is about to start testing hydrogen-powered flight.

Hydrogen: Destinus is now testing its in-house built afterburner technology using hydrogen and is about to start testing hydrogen-powered flight.

Courtesy Destinus

<strong>Eiger's inaugural flight: </strong>"We're going directly to autonomous flights," says Löfqvist. The strategy is to "develop smaller-size drones before we scale it up."

Eiger's inaugural flight: "We're going directly to autonomous flights," says Löfqvist. The strategy is to "develop smaller-size drones before we scale it up."

Courtesy Destinus

<strong>Rendering of the Destinus concept:</strong> The Destinus vision proposes enticing journey times such as Frankfurt to Sydney in 4 hours 15, or Memphis to Dubai in 3 hours 30.

Rendering of the Destinus concept: The Destinus vision proposes enticing journey times such as Frankfurt to Sydney in 4 hours 15, or Memphis to Dubai in 3 hours 30.

Courtesy Destinus

<strong>Waverider: </strong>The prototype adopts the waverider shape first conceived in the 1950s. "The purpose of it is so that you can ride on top of the shock waves that are generated from the vehicle itself," says Löfqvist.

Waverider: The prototype adopts the waverider shape first conceived in the 1950s. "The purpose of it is so that you can ride on top of the shock waves that are generated from the vehicle itself," says Löfqvist.

Courtesy Destinus

Is commercial hypersonic travel almost here?

CNN —

It’s now been two decades since the era of supersonic commercial flight ended with Concorde’s final touchdown in an airfield in southwest England.

In recent years, numerous pretenders to the throne – supersonic, hypersonic, hydrogen-powered, with anti-boom technology – have been whizzing round, conceptually at least, but many of these projects promising seamless super-fast travel have instead stalled, sputtered out or hit delays.

Now a European hypersonic startup is having a go, promising enticing journey times such as Frankfurt to Sydney in 4 hours 15, or Memphis to Dubai in 3 hours 30.

The Destinus concept is hydrogen-powered flight at five times the speed of sound, cutting flight duration to less than a quarter of current commercial air travel.