Europe to Australia in under five hours? It sounds too good to be true but this might be reality for future generations. Scientists have come up with the A2, a supersonic plane they believe could carry up to 300 passengers at a top speed of more than 3,000mph. It’s funded by the European Space Agency and uses technology more commonly deployed in space than air travel. Apparently it’s also eco-friendly because it uses liquid hydrogen instead of conventional fuel, and flight noise could also be a relic of the past since it’s almost silent.

Of course, the thing will probably never get made since the demise of the Concorde will make any potential investors wary of futuristic flight concepts. And if it did get made, it would cost the equivalent of a first-class fare today - about £7000 or close to $14,000. The lack of portholes might also be a challenge for anyone who is claustrophobic.

Still it’s exciting to see the boundaries of air travel being pushed. Obviously safety and price are key but beyond that, anything that is simultaneously faster and less polluting gets my vote.