HISTORY OF THE CONCORDE

• Concorde was jointly developed and produced by British and French engineers as part of an Anglo-French treaty.

• It had a take-off speed of 220 knots and a cruising speed of 1,350mph - more than twice the speed of sound.

• It could fly people from London to New York in less than 3.5 hours, as opposed to the normal eight hours.

• A total of 20 aircraft were built in France and the United Kingdom.

• It was first flown in 1969, and first entered service in 1976. It carried commercial passengers for 27 years.

• Concorde’s fastest transatlantic crossing took place on February 7, 1996, when it travelled from New York to London in just two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds.

• Both Air France and British Airways grounded their fleets for more than a year after 113 people were killed when one of the jets crashed minutes after take-off from Paris in July 2000.

• It was completely retired from service in 2003. Graphic News/©Gulf News