Concorde First Flight
Concorde made its maiden flight, beginning supersonic commercial aviation
March 02, 1969
Breaking the Sound Barrier in Passenger Service
On January 9, 1969, the Concorde supersonic passenger jet made its maiden flight from Toulouse, France. It was a joint project of the British and French governments, developed through nearly a decade of collaboration between British Aircraft Corporation and Aérospatiale. The Concorde could cruise at Mach 2 — twice the speed of sound — at altitudes above 60,000 feet. A flight from London to New York that took about seven hours on a conventional jet took just under three and a half hours on Concorde. Passengers could fly west faster than the sun appeared to move across the sky.
The Golden Age of Supersonic Travel
Concorde entered commercial service in January 1976, operated by British Airways and Air France. It became the preferred transport of celebrities, business executives, and royalty. Tickets were expensive — a round trip between London and New York could cost as much as a small car. At its peak, Concorde flew routes between Europe and North America, offering an experience unlike anything else in aviation. The aircraft's distinctive droop-nose, which tilted down during takeoff and landing to give the pilots a clear view, made it instantly recognizable on every runway.
End of an Era
On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris, killing all 109 people aboard and four on the ground. The disaster, combined with high operating costs and falling demand after the September 11 attacks, led to the retirement of the entire Concorde fleet in October 2003. After 27 years of commercial service, supersonic passenger travel ended. No successor has entered service since, though several companies are developing new supersonic jets. The Wright Brothers' patent set the foundation that made Concorde's achievement possible a century later.