What should BA do with the Heathrow Concorde?
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at 10:01 by dutchyankee.
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SimonS1ParticipantShame really. When BA decided not to fly them any more they could as suggested above have been passed to other people who could have used them.
The same applies now, if BA doesn’t want them on display then pass them on.
They are still relevant as part of our aviation history and a type of service that has still not been matched.
27 Aug 2013
at 09:34
dutchyankeeParticipantI believe there was some agreement between Air France and BA regarding that they agreed to stop at the same time, and that neither would sell their aircraft to another operator. I am not sure if this is true or not, but that is what I remember reading or hearing.
I have been privileged to fly Concorde 11 times, and loved the experience each time. I would love to see the last one parked or displayed somewhere at BA`s home base for all to see and enjoy.
27 Aug 2013
at 09:45
FormerlyDoSParticipantSimonS1
What happened
Airbus had a commercia lagreement to maintain both AF/BA fleets
AF decide to retire Concorde
This terminated Airbus’s contract and they decided to withdraw the type certificate, as they did not wish to support a smaller fleet and were not contractually obliged to
BA then had to retire Concorde too, as they could not operate it withou a type certicate.
27 Aug 2013
at 13:35
FormerlyDoSParticipantNot to my knowledge, Simon.
I still had good contacts at BA at the time and the above was what I heard from people who would know.
27 Aug 2013
at 15:20
SimonS1Participanthttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/3014668.stm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-185847/Branson-save-Concorde-plea.html
We will never know I guess. Maybe there was no maintenance offer, on the other hand it probably would have suited BA to pump that out as it would have been a bit of a humiliation for Virgin to be flying them.
27 Aug 2013
at 15:29
dutchyankeeParticipant@FDoS, I had read that AF was convinced to stop service, but could not then leave BA as the sole supersonic operator, it would be a national embarrassment (AF was still government owned). Hence, AF chief privately agreed with Airbus chief to pull the rug on maintenance and hence the UK would pull the certificate and thereby force BA to likewise retire their Concordes. Not sure if this is some conspiracy theory or not, but in line with your explanation.
27 Aug 2013
at 15:53
FormerlyDoSParticipantWouldn’t be surprised if Af and Airbus spoke 🙂
Put it another way, some at BA were not best pleased to have invested a serious amount of dosh into kevlar tank liners and a cabin re-fit in 2001 (as well as a lot of investment in re-certification and crew training), only to see a grounding about 2 years later.
But, IIRC, I was told Airbus were entitled to terminate the contract if either operator stopped flying and withdrew their fleet.
27 Aug 2013
at 16:16
simplesimonParticipantAir France retired its Concordes several months before the British did. That says a lot…
28 Aug 2013
at 05:02
MartynSinclairParticipantWhat a beautiful sight..
http://theblnkt.com/peter-michels-amazing-rc-concorde-jet-project-takes-flight/
22 Dec 2014
at 00:36 -
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