London to New York in an hour: Airbus' latest patent hints at 'Concorde 2' hypersonic jet

Frequent flyers will be pleased to see that Airbus' latest patent hints at a spiritual successor to the retired Concorde airliner.

Awarded to Airbus back in July, the patent describes a plane that can not only fly at hypersonic speed, but also land and take off vertically.

The plane would be able to travel at Mach 4.5, meaning it would be possible to travel from London to New York in an hour.

It's already being dubbed 'Concorde 2' on YouTube, where it has been picked up by Patent Yogi - a channel specialising in futuristic patents.

In the patent, Airbus describes how the plane would use three different hydrogen engines to propel the craft at 3,425mph.

A rocket motor would mean the airliner could cruise at 100,000 feet - and Airbus believes it would be quieter than the original Concorde.

"In the case of civil applications, the market envisaged is principally that of business travel and VIP passengers, who require transcontinental return journeys within one day," explains the patent.

Which, roughly translated, means it’s likely to be ultra-expensive and ultra-luxurious to actually fly on.

And Airbus' design hints at only 20 passengers per flight.