Today marks 46 years since Concorde conducted its first commercial flights. On January 21st, 1976, the supersonic jetliner took off from London and Paris on the same day with British Airways and Air France respectively.
A grand occasion
At 11:40 UTC on the cold winter morning, the two units of the United Kingdom and France’s flag carriers departed simultaneously. British Airways’ aircraft left for Bahrain, while Air France’s jet took off for Rio de Janeiro via Dakar.
British Airways’ G-BOAA landed in Bahrain just four hours after departing despite a modified flight path due to the geopolitics of the time. In comparison, a standard jet would have taken 2.5 hours longer to complete the trip. Meanwhile, Air France’s F-BVFA landed at its final destination in Brazil at 20:06 Paris time after the stop in Senegal in between.
Plenty to celebrate
It was a joyous event following years of collaboration between two of Europe’s most robust aviation industries at the time. Since the turn of the 1960s, British and French outfits were in contact about the development of an SST. A draft treaty between the two nations was then signed in November 1962, laying the foundations for the Concorde program.
“Most of the seats on both jets were filled with dignitaries from France and England, of course, as well as notables from Germany, Sweden, Brazil, and Spain. Queen Elizabeth II sent her ‘warmest congratulations to the people of France for the ‘successful outcome of 14 years of close collaboration between our two nations.’” Samme Chittum shared in Last Days of the Concorde.
“Over ensuing years, many well-heeled passengers came forward to purchase tickets to fly from London or Paris to New York and back in one day. Although some flights took off only half full. Concorde was to remain a popular choice for dignitaries and celebrities. Pope John Paul II flew on Concorde, as did Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and French President Jacques Chirac.”
Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.
A costly experience
Despite the fanfare with the trips to Rio de Janeiro and Bahrain, Concorde would primarily go on to be seen on services to one destination, in particular, New York. Until 2003, Concorde performed scheduled flights across the Atlantic Ocean to the US East Coast.
It was an expensive ticket to fly on Concorde, with the cost being around $11,150 today. Nonetheless, it remained a popular service for a privileged few, including passenger Fred Finn who flew on the type 718 times.
Ultimately, it was the high costs of operating and flying on Concorde that significantly contributed to its downfall. The crash of Air France flight 4590 in 2000 and the downturn in passenger activity following 9/11 also added to the plane’s troubles.
Nonetheless, the delta-winged plane remains a legend in the eyes of the aviation community, highlighting what can be achieved technically. The launch is inspiring another wave of supersonic travel, with companies from numerous regions launching supersonic programs in recent years.
What are your thoughts about Concorde’s first flights? What do you make of the history of the jet? Let us know what you think of the aircraft and its operations in the comment section.
Source: https://simpleflying.com/concorde-first-commercial-flights/
