TRAVEL FROM ONE COUNTRY TO NEXT IN ONLY 30 MIN

A hypersonic jet that will fly from Auckland to London in four hours could bring relief to passengers who dread long haul flights.

If you can afford it, that is.

Airbus's parent company EADS has unveiled plans for a hypersonic jet that can fly on biofuel twice as fast as the Concorde.

The Zero Emission Hypersonic Transportation, or ZEHST, would fly at 5029kmh at a cruising altitude of 32 km above the earth – just above the atmosphere. It would fly at four times the speed of sound.

Designers envision it would carry up to 100 passengers and could fly from Paris to New York in 90 minutes. A normal passenger jet takes nearly eight hours.

But don't get too excited just yet.

EADS expects the jet's first commercial flight will take place in 2050. Unmanned test flights are scheduled for 2020.