A plane flying from New York to London Heathrow hit near supersonic speeds yesterday after getting caught up in a powerhouse jet stream.

British Airways Flight 114, a Boeing 777-200 jet, took off from JFK at 10.50pm Eastern Standard Time (EST), and landed at 9.06am local time at London Heathrow.

The total flight time was five hours and 16 minutes, well short of the estimated minimum six-hour journey.

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A British Airways flight from New York to London Heathrow took only five hours and 16 minutes due to flying through a powerhouse jet stream (File Photo)

The difference in temperature between the Equator and the North Pole means pressure and winds are greater thus reducing flight times between the US and the UK (jet stream in purple)

By comparing the flight path here to the graph above, you can see the plane was bang in the jet stream

What's more, the flight was reported to have flown at speeds of 745mph relative to ground speed.

The speed of sound at sea level is 761mph.

Several flights are reported to have made the journey from New York to London yesterday in around five hours 20 minutes due to the 200mph North Atlantic jet stream.

How the stats measure up for the supersonic flying BA jet from New York to London Heathrow

The conditions around the North Atlantic have meant the US have been feeling the effects of a polar vortex

Passengers leaving JFK heading to London yesterday were treated to a reduction in flight duration

It is not unexpected for the jet stream to intensify during the winter months, with flight times in January and February between the US and the UK shortening in duration.

The temperature contrast between the equator and the North Pole is at its greatest during these months, and as well as leading to polar-vortex related climate experienced by the US currently, air pressure and wind increases.

Sadly, however, the strength of the jet stream is heavily weighted in one direction; that is to say flights heading to the US from Europe will see an increase in duration.

The heavier green points on the Earth signify the powerful jet stream across the Atlantic

The Atlantic jet stream route was taken advantage of by the Concorde, when in 1996 it hit a top speed of 1,350mph and took just two hours and 53 minutes from New York to London

Often this is because pilots are forced to fly closer to Greenland to escape powerful headwinds, as oppose to the direct route over the Atlantic.

Despite the Boeing 777-200 jet reaching a top speed of 745mph, it doesn't come close to matching the top speed of the Concorde on the same flight path.