Rare pictures of a time when Concorde ruled the skies

History may record it as little more than a footnote in the story of aviation but in its day, Concorde was hailed as a miracle of technology rivalled only by the moon landing.
By David Behrens
Published 22nd Apr 2020, 06:00 BST
Britain's prototype of the Anglo-French supersonic Concorde airliner being rolled out of its hangar at the British Aircraft Corporation works at Filton, Bristol. Surrounding the aircraft are crowds of BAC employees, who helped with its construction. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)Britain's prototype of the Anglo-French supersonic Concorde airliner being rolled out of its hangar at the British Aircraft Corporation works at Filton, Bristol. Surrounding the aircraft are crowds of BAC employees, who helped with its construction. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
Britain's prototype of the Anglo-French supersonic Concorde airliner being rolled out of its hangar at the British Aircraft Corporation works at Filton, Bristol. Surrounding the aircraft are crowds of BAC employees, who helped with its construction. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Its first test flight in April 1969, just a few months before Neil Armstrong’s “small step” on to the lunar surface, was an unparalleled achievement by British and French engineers – and as these pictures from the archive remind us, the first supersonic passenger aircraft was not just an icon of its time but a bona fide celebrity.

Yet the spark was fitful. The cost of development was too high to ever recover, and when in July 2000 a Concorde en route from Paris crashed into a hotel, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground, it was the beginning of the end. Operations were finally ceased in 2003.

Related topics:HistoryParis

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