French Concorde flies into history
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Flying into blue skies and its place in history, Concorde left Paris on its last outward flight for Air France yesterday.
The droop-nosed supersonic aircraft took off from Charles de Gaulle airport at 8.38am and landed in New York three hours and 40 minutes later. Today it will make its last commercial flight for the company when it returns from America and flies into retirement.
Jean-Pierre Lefebvre, an Air France staff member, said: "It's very emotional. Concorde is a story of joy, of emotion, of technical prowess." The last flight departed with 58 passengers and 11 crew. Concorde first flew in 1969.
Air France and British Airways, the only carriers to operate the aircraft, are retiring their Concorde fleets. The final British Airways flights are scheduled for October.
Concorde's demise has been hastened by a crash minutes after take-off from Paris in July 2000, in which 113 people were killed. Air France and BA also said falling demand for seats on the luxury aircraft after the 11 September attacks meant it was too expensive to run.(AP)
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments