Concorde

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Concorde

Concorde ( KONG-kord, French: [kɔ̃kɔʁd] ) is a retired Anglo-French supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies began in 1954 and a UK–France treaty followed in 1962, as the programme cost was estimated at £70 million (£1.77 billion in 2025). Construction of six prototypes began in February 1965, with the first flight from Toulouse on 2 March 1969. The market forecast was 350 aircraft, with manufacturers receiving up to 100 options from major airlines. On 9 October 1975, it received its French certificate of airworthiness, and was certified by the UK CAA on 5 December. Concorde is an aircraft design with a narrow fuselage permitting four-abreast seating for 92 to 128 passengers, an ogival delta wing, and a droop nose for landing visibility. It is powered by four Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 turbojets with variable engine intake ramps, and reheat for take-off and acceleration to supersonic speed. Constructed from aluminium, it was the first airliner to have analogue fly-by-wire flight controls. The airliner had transatlantic range while supercruising at twice the speed of sound for 75% of the distance. Delays and cost overruns pushed costs to £1.5–2.1 billion in 1976 (£12–16.7 billion in 2025). Concorde entered service on 21 January 1976 with Air France from Paris-Roissy and British Airways from London Heathrow. Transatlantic flights were the main market, to Washington Dulles from 24 May, and to New York JFK from 17 October 1977. Air France and British Airways remained the sole customers with seven airframes each, for a total production of twenty. Supersonic flight more than halved travel times, but sonic booms over the ground limited it to transoceanic flights only. Its only competitor was the Tupolev Tu-144, carrying passengers from November 1977 until a May 1978 crash, while a potential competitor, the Boeing 2707, was cancelled in 1971 before any prototypes were built. On 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590 crashed shortly after take-off with all 109 occupants and four on the ground killed. This was the only fatal incident involving Concorde; commercial service was suspended until November 2001. The remaining aircraft were retired in 2003, 27 years after commercial operations had begun. Eighteen of the twenty aircraft built are preserved and are on display in Europe and North America.

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• Concorde | Summary, History, & Facts | Britannica

  The Concorde was the first major cooperative venture of European countries to design and build an aircraft. On November 29, 1962, Britain and France signed a treaty to share costs and risks in producing an SST. British Aerospace and the French firm Aérospatiale were responsible for the airframe, while Britain’s Rolls-Royce and France’s SNECMA (Société Nationale d’Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d’Aviation) developed the jet engines. The result was a technological masterpiece, the delta-wing Concorde, which made its first flight on March 2, 1969. The Concorde had a maximum cruising speed of 2,179 km (1,354 miles) per hour, or Mach 2.04 (more than twice the speed of sound), allowing the aircraft to reduce the flight time between London and New York to about three hours. The development [...] Concorde, the first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane (or supersonic transport, SST), built jointly by aircraft manufacturers in Great Britain and France. The Concorde made its first transatlantic crossing on September 26, 1973, and it inaugurated the world’s first scheduled supersonic passenger service on January 21, 1976—British Airways initially flying the aircraft from London to Bahrain and Air France flying it from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. Both airlines added regular service to Washington, D.C., in May 1976 and to New York City in November 1977. Other routes were added temporarily or seasonally, and the Concorde was flown on chartered flights to destinations all over the world. However, the aircraft’s noise and operating expense limited its service. Financial losses [...] Air France Concorde supersonic passenger jet with a pointed nose is displayed on raised supports at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, with a road and cars in the foreground. # Concorde Britannica AI Icon ### What is the Concorde? The Concorde was a supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane. Built in the 1960s as part of a joint venture between the United Kingdom and France, the Concorde was the first commercial aircraft of its kind. Only 14 Concorde aircraft went into service before it was retired by both countries in 2003. ### How was the Concorde developed?

• Concorde - Wikipedia

  At Charles de Gaulle's January 1963 press conference, the aircraft was first called "Concorde". The name was suggested by the 18-year-old son of F.G. Clark, the publicity manager at BAC's Filton plant. Reflecting the treaty between the British and French governments that led to Concorde's construction, the name Concorde is from the French word concorde (IPA: ( "Help:IPA/French")), which has an English equivalent, concord. Both words mean agreement, harmony, or union. The name was changed to Concord by Harold Macmillan in response to a perceived slight by de Gaulle. At the French roll-out in Toulouse in late 1967, the British Minister of Technology, Tony Benn, announced that he would change the spelling back to Concorde. This created a nationalist uproar that died down when Benn stated [...] The aircraft was usually referred to by the British as simply "Concorde". In France, it was known as "le Concorde" owing to "le", the definite article, used in French grammar to introduce the name of a ship or aircraft, and the capital being used to distinguish a proper name from a common noun of the same spelling. In French, the common noun concorde means "agreement, harmony, or peace". Concorde's pilots and British Airways in official publications often refer to Concorde both in the singular and plural as "she" or "her". [...] Concorde set the FAI "Westbound Around the World" and "Eastbound Around the World" world air speed records. On 12–13 October 1992, in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Columbus' first voyage to the New World, Concorde Spirit Tours (US) chartered Air France Concorde F-BTSD and circumnavigated the world in 32 hours 49 minutes and 3 seconds, from Lisbon, Portugal, including six refuelling stops at Santo Domingo, Acapulco, Honolulu, Guam, Bangkok, and Bahrain.

• Concorde | The Museum of Flight

  British and French aerospace companies began collaboration in 1956 on design studies of a supersonic transport. Following formal agreement in late 1962, detailed design and development began. French President Charles de Gaulle named the new aircraft "Concorde" in a 1963 speech. First flight of the French-built prototype 001 occurred at Toulouse in March 1969, followed by British-built 002 at Filton, England a month later. The partnership would ultimately lead to 20 Concorde aircraft built between 1969 and 1979. Flying with Air France and British Airways, the glamorous supersonic jets offered a luxurious and speedy trip across the Atlantic and other select routes for 27 years. Capable of speeds over two times the speed of sound and at altitudes up to 60,000 feet (18,290 m), Concorde could [...] British and French aerospace companies began collaboration in 1956 on design studies of a supersonic transport. Following formal agreement in late 1962, detailed design and development began. French President Charles de Gaulle named the new aircraft "Concorde" in a 1963 speech. First flight of the French-built prototype 001 occurred at Toulouse in March 1969, followed by British-built 002 at Filton, England a month later. The partnership would ultimately lead to 20 Concorde aircraft built between 1969 and 1979. Flying with Air France and British Airways, the glamorous supersonic jets offered a luxurious and speedy trip across the Atlantic and other select routes for 27 years. Capable of speeds over two times the speed of sound and at altitudes up to 60,000 feet (18,290 m), Concorde could [...] Concorde's elegant "ogival" delta wing design took advantage of vortex lift at the lower speeds associated with takeoff and landing. This configuration eliminated the need for complex and heavy high-lift mechanisms. The Olympus 593 engine and its inlet/exhaust design, a joint project of the British Rolls-Royce and French SNECMA firms, was a significant contributor to Concorde's performance. It was the only turbojet with reheat (afterburner, used for takeoff) in commercial service during its flying career.

• British Airways Concorde | Intrepid Museum

  Imagine the Power The Concorde is a product of Anglo-French cooperation. When the Concorde entered Air France and British Airways’ transatlantic service in 1976, it was the only operational supersonic passenger transport in the world. With a crew of nine, the Concorde could fly at 1,350 mph (2,150 kph) at an altitude of 60,000 ft (18,181 m), high enough for its 100 passengers to see the earth’s curvature. British Airways Concorde flying over NYC British Airways Concorde Relive History [...] British Airways Concorde Relive History This aircraft, serial no. 100-010 (G-BOAD), first flew on August 25, 1976. Concordes crossed the Atlantic Ocean in under three hours, or less than half the time of any other jetliner flying that route even today. Environmentalists’ protests prevented its supersonic use over the United States and limited airport operation. Then, a crash upon takeoff in July 2000 grounded the fleet until 2001. The Concorde flew VIP passengers until 2003, when both airlines retired their fleets from service. This airplane is on loan from British Airways. Eric Boehm Team Member Highlight

• What Happened to the Concordes? | National Air and Space Museum

  ### ### What is the Concorde? The Concorde was a masterpiece, the gold standard of aviation engineering. It checked all the boxes: aesthetics, design, speed, luxury, and innovation. Which is why, after over 50 years, it remains one of the most iconic aircraft ever built. The Concorde was the first turbojet-powered supersonic airliner to enter service flying passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound. [...] What is a turbojet-powered supersonic aircraft? The turbojet engine is a jet engine; think of it as a powerful machine that takes in air, compresses it, mixes it with fuel, and ignites it. This mixture produces a thrust released from the back of the engine that propels the plane forward. By delivering 38,000 pounds of thrust, the Rolls-Royce Olympus engines on the Concorde could bring the aircraft to a maximum speed of 1,330 mph. The graceful Concorde was a stunning technological achievement designed and built by Sud Aviation which later became a part of Aerospatiale (now Airbus) of France and the British Aircraft Corporation. In English and French, 'concord' or 'Concorde' means agreement or harmony. [...] A Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic passenger airliner. Concordes aimed to reduce travel times significantly compared to subsonic airliners, catering to passengers willing to pay premium fares for expedited travel between major cities like London and New York. During the Cold War, Britain and France aimed to develop a commercial airliner capable of flying faster than the speed of sound. Due to the high costs involved, British developers partnered with their French counterparts to share the burden and expertise required for such an ambitious project. They pooled their resources by signing a bilateral treaty in 1962.

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  Q14970