Concorde SSTs retiredIn 2003, the retirement of all Concorde supersonic jets was announced simultaneously by British Airways and Air France, after a quarter century of passenger service that began on 21 Jan 1976. Rising fuel and maintenance costs for the aging aircraft (in the shadow of a fatal crash of a French Concorde in 2000) at a time of declining passenger traffic and revenue made the decision necessary. Air France ended passenger service on 31 May 2003. The final passenger flights made by British Airway landed on 24 Oct 2003. By 28 Nov 2003, all retired British Concordes had been flown to various final destinations for display at museums and airfields in Britain and America. |
