Western Daily Press (Saturday)
CONCORDE TIMELINE
■ November 1956: A UK committee featuring representatives from aircraft and engine manufacturers as well as government officials is established to analyse the feasibility of a supersonic airliner.
■ November 1962: A draft treaty is signed by the UK and France to commit to jointly building a supersonic airliner.
■ March 1969: A Concorde prototype flies for the first time, from Toulouse in France.
■ January 1976: British Airways and Air France launch commercial Concorde flights.
■ January 1980: British Airways takes delivery of its seventh and final Concorde.
■ February 1996: The fastest transatlantic crossing by an airliner is recorded by Concorde on a New York to London flight which took just two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds.
■ July 2000: An Air France Concorde en route from Paris to New York crashes shortly after take-off due to an engine fire, killing all 109 people on board as well as four people on the ground. The Concorde fleets of British Airways and Air France are grounded pending an inquiry.
■ November 2001: Transatlantic Concorde flights resume from London and Paris following a safety upgrade.
■ April 2003: It is announced that Concorde will be taken out of service due to a sharp dip in passenger numbers amid global economic problems and the aftermath of September 11.
■ October 2003: Concorde touches down for the final time after a special flight from London Heathrow to Airbus UK’s Filton airfield in Bristol.