Concorde

The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST) was one of only two models of supersonic passenger airliners to have seen commercial service. Concorde had a cruise speed of Mach 2.04 and a cruise altitude of 60,000 feet (17,700 metres) with a delta wing configuration and an evolution of the reheat-equipped engines originally developed for the Avro Vulcan strategic bomber. It was the first civil airliner to be equipped with an analogue fly-by-wire flight control system. Commercial flights, operated by British Airways and Air France, began on January 21 1976 and ended on October 24 2003, with the last "retirement" flight on November 26 that year.

Withdrawal from service

The first test-flight of the newly-improved Concorde flew from England to the mid-Atlantic and back in preparation for a return to full scheduled service that week. The flight took place on September 11, 2001, and was in the air when the attacks on the World Trade Center were taking place.

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On April 10, 2003 British Airways and Air France simultaneously announced that they would retire the Concorde later that year. They cited low passenger numbers following the July 25 2000 crash, the slump in air travel following 9/11, and rising maintenance costs.

Related Topics:
April 10 - 2003 - July 25 - 2000

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That same day Sir Richard Branson offered to buy British Airways' Concordes at their original price of £1 for service with his Virgin Atlantic Airways. Branson claimed this to be the same token price that British Airways had paid the British Goverment, but BA denied this- and refused the offer. Indeed, after posting large losses on their Concorde flights in the 1980's, British Airways had paid a flat sum to the UK government to buy their Concordes outright. After doing a market survey and discovering that their target customers thought that Concorde was more expensive than it actually was; BA then raised prices to match. It may be that BA then ran Concorde at net profit, unlike their French counterparts, although BA refused to open the accounts.

Related Topics:
Sir Richard Branson - Virgin Atlantic Airways

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Branson later wrote to The Economist (23 October 2003) that his final offer was "over £5 million" and that he had intended to operate the fleet "for many years to come". Any hope of Concorde remaining in service was further thwarted by Airbus' unwillingness to provide maintenance support for the aging airframes.

Related Topics:
The Economist - 23 October - 2003

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Air France

Air France made its final Concorde landing in the United States in New York City from Paris on May 30 2003. Firetrucks sprayed the traditional arcs of water above the aircraft on the tarmac of John F. Kennedy airport. It made its final commercial flight back to Paris the following day. The end of Air France's Concorde services was also marked by a charter around the Bay of Biscay.

Related Topics:
United States - New York City - Paris - May 30 - 2003 - Bay of Biscay

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An auction of Concorde parts and memorabilia for Air France was held at Christie's in Paris, on November 15 2003. One thousand three hundred people attended, and several lots exceeded their predicted values by ten or more times.

Related Topics:
Auction - Christie's - November 15 - 2003

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British Airways

BA's last Concorde departure from the Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados was on August 30 2003. G-BOAG visited Toronto Pearson International Airport on October 1 2003.

Related Topics:
Grantley Adams International Airport - Barbados - August 30 - 2003 - Toronto Pearson International Airport - October 1

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A final week of farewell flights saw Concorde visiting Birmingham on October 20, Belfast on October 21, Manchester on October 22, Cardiff on October 23, and Edinburgh on October 24. Each day the aircraft made a return flight out and back into Heathrow to the cities concerned, often overflying those cities at low altitude. Over 650 competition winners and 350 special guests were carried.

Related Topics:
Birmingham - October 20 - Belfast - October 21 - Manchester - October 22 - Cardiff - October 23 - Edinburgh - October 24 - Heathrow

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On the evening of October 23, 2003, the Queen consented to the illumination of Windsor Castle, as Concorde's last ever west-bound commercial flight departed London, and flew overhead. This is an honour normally restricted to major state events and visiting dignitaries.

Related Topics:
October 23 - 2003 - The Queen - Windsor Castle

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British Airways retired its aircraft the next day, October 24. One Concorde left New York to a fanfare similar to its Air France predecessor's, while two more made round-trips, one over the Bay of Biscay, carrying VIP guests including many former Concorde pilots, and one to Edinburgh. The three aircraft then circled over London, having received special permission to fly at low altitude, before landing in sequence at Heathrow. The two round-trip Concordes landed at 4:01 and 4:03 PM BST, followed at 4:05 by the one from New York. All three aircraft then spent 45 minutes taxiing around the airport before finally disembarking the last supersonic fare-paying passengers. The pilot of the New York to London flight was Mike Bannister.

Related Topics:
October 24 - BST - Mike Bannister

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Passengers on the final transatlantic flight included:

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• Tony Benn
• former US model Christie Brinkley
• ballerina Darcey Bussell
• TV motoring correspondent Jeremy Clarkson
• Joan Collins and her husband Percy Gibson.
• Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone
• Sir David Frost
• Stock Exchange chairman Chris Gibson-Smith
• actor Nigel Havers
• model Jodie Kidd
• British Airways chairman Lord Marshall
• advertising mogul Lord Saatchi
• Piers Morgan, then editor of the Daily Mirror
• CNN anchor Richard Quest
• the chairmen or chief executives of:
• GlaxoSmithKline
• BAE Systems
• Merrill Lynch
• Deutsche Bank
• P&O
• The Royal Bank of Scotland
• a lucky traveller, who had booked a regular ticket over a year earlier.

Bonhams held an auction of British Airways' Concorde artifacts on December 1, 2003 at Olympia Exhibition Centre, in Kensington, London. Items sold included a machmeter, a nose cone, Concorde pilot and passenger seats and even the cutlery, ashtrays and blankets used onboard. About £3/4 million was taken, with the first half- million going to 'Get Kids Going!', a charity which gives disabled children and young people the opportunity to participate in sport.

Related Topics:
Bonhams - Auction - December 1 - 2003 - Olympia Exhibition Centre - Cutlery

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