Shortly after 4pm on October 24, 2003, British Airways flight 02 from New York touched down at London’s Heathrow Airport. It was the aircraft’s final Atlantic crossing and marked the end of commercial supersonic air travel.
For 27 years, Concorde carried passengers at speeds of Mach 2, or more than 2,100kph. With its dart wings, streamlined shape and iconic drooping nose, it represented the ultimate in aircraft technology and ambition.
Looking back at the BBC report of that final commercial flight 20 years ago, it is easy to see why Concorde’s time was up. The interior is narrow and cramped, the seating almost resembling a budget airline, with barely no recline. Entertainment was restricted to a few music channels and the bathrooms were so small that they were nearly impossible to use.
That last passenger list is also instructive. A mixture of ageing celebrities and grey-haired and suited business types, they were the aircraft’s client base, the only ones with a big enough bank balance or expensive account to afford the one-way $8,000 ticket.
In truth, two decades later, Concorde looks more like a blast from the past than the future of air travel.
Despite the glamour of travelling at twice the speed of sound and reaching New York from London in less than three and half hours, the aircraft had a troubled history, never matching the expectations of the French and British governments that conceived it as a joint project.
Orders for up to 350 Concordes from 100 airlines, placed when it was still under construction, dwindled as the cost of operation and oil prices soared in the 1980s.
In the end, only 14 were delivered when the aircraft went into commercial service in January 1976, seven each for the state airlines Air France and BOAC, now British Airways.
This was despite a worldwide sales push. In 1974, Concorde landed at what is now Al Bateen Executive Airport, ostensibly part of hot weather testing but also to drum up potential buyers. It then went on to Dubai.
Concerns about noise and pollution – and possibly more than a little protectionism – blocked the introduction of lucrative US routes until 1977. For its first routes, BOAC travelled to Bahrain while Air France headed for Rio de Janeiro in Brazil via Dakar in Senegal.
Blocked from flying overland because of its sonic boom, the aircraft still managed to turn a profit in the 1980s on the New York route, at one point earning British Airways about £30 million to £50 million ($36.5 million to $60.8 million) a year. It helped that both the British and French airlines had been given Concorde effectively free.
While a commercial failure as a concept, Concorde was the ultimate expression of travel in the ‘80s and ‘90s. It was pressed into service for the Live Aid concerts of 1985, delivering the rock star Phil Collins from London to New York so that he could perform at both events. In 1996, it was painted blue to promote Pepsi’s new colour scheme, landing in Dubai on a tour of Europe and the Middle East.
Four years later came the event that many believe ended the era of Concorde. On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed on take off in Paris, killing all 100 passengers and nine crew, as well as four people on the ground.
An investigation found debris on the runway at Charles de Gaulle Airport had shredded a tyre, fragments of which punctured a fuel tank and two engines, causing a fire and disastrous loss of power.
All 13 surviving Concordes were grounded until December 2001, while safety modifications costing millions were carried out. By then, the downturn in passenger numbers resulting from the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon had finished any hope of a future for Concorde.
With Airbus announcing it could no longer supply maintenance, Air France announced it would take the aircraft out of service in 2003. The surviving Concordes were distributed to museums, their last flights.
Almost within months, plans were being announced for a successor to Concorde. But 20 years later none have carried passengers, or even flown. Despite its glamour and speed, the commercial case for supersonic flight is still weak and the costs of development huge, made worse by the portrayal of aviation emissions as a significant factor in climate change.
The case of Aerion, funded by the Texas billionaire Robert Bass, is instructive. First announced in 2004, its SBJ (Supersonic Business Jet) went through several modifications until the SBJ AS3 in 2021, an aircraft capable of flying four times the speed of sound.
But behind the scenes investors were taking flight. Airbus, Lockheed and General Electric all dropped out. Aerion had nearly 100 potential orders and was building a factory on Florida, but the company collapsed in May 2021, leaving only artist’s impressions.
Several other projects are still, in theory, working away. Russia, whose experience with the Tupolev Tu-144, nicknamed “Concordski”, saw a disastrous crash at the 1973 Paris Air Show, was reported to be considering a second attempt, possibly with Middle East investment.
China may also enter the market, with a rumoured hypersonic jet that could reach five times the speed of sound or 5,633kph.
The most likely successor, though, has a distinctly retro feel. Boom Supersonic, an American company, hopes to fly a one-third scale demonstration aircraft within weeks.
The proposed full-sized model will fly at twice the speed of conventional aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, slightly slower than Concorde, and will offer business-class prices for 65 to 80 passengers.
Due to enter service by the end of the decade, the Boom Overture has several airlines interested enough to take out options to buy, including United with 50, and Japan.
Despite being considerably quieter than its predecessor and more fuel efficient, the Overture will still have sonic boom issues that will, like Concorde, reduce its supersonic use to routes over water. The company also promises that it will be net zero and predicts it will eventually become the standard for long-distance travel.
From the outside, though, its sleek delta wings and needle-like nose resemble the aircraft which first flew in the 1960s. When it comes to supersonic passenger travel, it looks like a case of back to the future. Although this time hopefully with in-flight movies and Wi-Fi.
The 12
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Brief scores:
Toss: Rajputs, elected to field first
Sindhis 94-6 (10 ov)
Watson 42; Munaf 3-20
Rajputs 96-0 (4 ov)
Shahzad 74 not out
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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