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| Sunday, 13 April 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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End of the road for Concorde British Airways announced the retirement of its Concorde fleet of seven aircraft from end of October. The airline said that its decision had been made for commercial reasons with passenger revenue falling steadily against a backdrop of rising maintenance costs for the aircraft. Detailed discussions over an extended period with Airbus, the aircraft's manufacturer, confirmed the need for an enhanced maintenance program in the coming years, the carrier added. British Airways has decided that such an investment cannot be justified in the face of falling revenue caused by a global downturn in demand for all forms of premium travel in the airline industry. The downturn has had a negative impact on Concorde bookings and is set to continue for the foreseeable future, according to the airline. Retiring Concorde will result in 84 million Sterling Pounds write-off costs for the year ended March 2003. To honour the past 30 years of supersonic travel, British Airways will announce shortly a program of special events and promotions for air travellers. For the next few months, the airline will continue to operate its Concorde services between London, Heathrow and New York JFK and seasonal services to Barbados. A range of special Concorde fares is being offered. The offers are on sale until April 17 for travel until the end of August. Concorde is the world's only supersonic passenger aircraft, cruising around 1,350 miles per hour, and at an altitude of up to 60,000 feet. It travels at twice the speed of sound and can cross the Atlantic in just over three hours. More than 2.5 million passengers have flown supersonically on British Airways' Concordes since the aircraft entered commercial service in 1976. The airline is already planning to make its Concordes available for the public to view in museums. |
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