Concorde: The end of an era

After a series of unprecedented events that tarnished Concorde's reputation and its viability to remain in service by the beginning of the 21st century, it was decided to finally retire it...for good. On 10 April 2003, Air France and British Airways simultaneously announced they would retire Concorde later that year. 

They cited low passenger numbers following the Air France 4590 crash, the slump in air travel following the September 11 attacks, and with rising maintenance costs skyrocketing, Airbus (the company that acquired Aerospatiale in 2000) had made a decision in 2003 to no longer supply replacement parts for the aircraft. 

Although Concorde was technologically advanced when introduced in the 1970s, 30 years later, its analogue cockpit was outdated. There had been little commercial pressure to upgrade Concorde due to a lack of competing aircraft, unlike other airliners of the same era such as the Boeing 747. By its retirement, it was the last aircraft in the British Airways fleet that had a flight engineer; other aircraft, such as the modernized Boeing 747-400, had eliminated the role.

British Airways Concorde, in comparison with the Boeing 747-400

(Photo source: Pinterest)

Shortly after their announcement, both airlines started to make their final commercial flights as their final goodbyes to Concorde. 

Air France made its final commercial Concorde landing inthe United States in New York City from Paris on the 30th of May 2003. And Air France's final Concorde flight took place on the 27th of June 2003 when Concorde reg. F-BVFC retired to Toulouse, once the birthplace of the French-made Aerospatiale-BAC Concordes were built and delivered to Air France.

Concorde, last flight - May 2003

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcuqVv2oxdg)

And soon to follow suit with British Airways making their final flights in October 2003, with numerous farewell tours and "invite-only" commercial flights. British Airways retired its Concorde fleet on the 24th of October 2003. Concorde G-BOAG left New York to a fanfare similar to that given for Air France's Concorde F-BTSD, while two more Concordes made round trips, Concorde G-BOAF over the Bay of Biscay, carrying VIP guests including former Concorde pilots, and Concorde G-BOAE to Edinburgh. The three aircraft then circled over London, having received special permission to fly at low altitude, before landing in sequence at Heathrow for the last time before officially retiring them and bidding their farewells to the iconic supersonic airliners.

Concorde's Final Day - Oct 24th 2003

(https://youtu.be/Wwzj7hrydK8)

After its retirement, the Concorde fleet from British Airways and Air France were sent to museums around the world. Of the 20 aircraft built, 18 remain in good condition. Many are on display at museums in the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Germany, and Barbados.

From 1976 into 2003, after 27 years of service, the most recognizable and iconic aircraft in history was retired by Air France and British Airways. Closing the final chapter of the most ambitious project of the century.