Concorde was the world’s most iconic airliner and one of the most technically ambitious projects in aviation history. Billions were spent on its development over a span of more than a decade. When the Concorde program was launched, it was to be the next giant leap forward in air travel. Many believed that mass supersonic commercial air travel would be commonplace by the end of the 1970s.
Thousands of the brightest French and British engineers were dedicated to making supersonic air travel a reality. By 1963, mockups of Concorde were already capturing the world’s imagination and dazzling the press. Airlines soon placed orders for more than 70 Concordes. Orders were expected to grow to at least 200 by 1975. The Soviet Union responded with the development of their own supersonic airliner and the United States launched the Supersonic Transport program.
However, by the early 1970s, the prospect of mass supersonic travel began to fade. Concorde would enter commercial service in the mid-to-late 1970s, just as the price of oil began to skyrocket. Concorde burned nearly four times more fuel than even a first generation jetliner. Like all supersonic aircraft, Concorde generated sonic booms. Public tolerance for sonic booms had been underestimated, and as countries started banning supersonic flights over their airspace, limited route options made Concorde less appealing to airlines. By the end of 1973, almost every airline canceled their options. All the while, Concorde’s development costs had ballooned to more than ten times the original estimates.
British Airways and Air France were ultimately the only airlines to put Concordes into service, taking delivery of just a handful of aircraft each. The two airlines would eventually turn a profit by branding Concorde as an ultra-exclusive way to travel. Ticket prices were set as high as $ 12,000 for a London to New York round trip for the elite few who could afford the price of flying supersonic. While the prospect of mass supersonic travel never arrived, Concorde earned a legacy as an engineering marvel and symbol of pride for the British and French until it's retirement in 2003.
In the 1950s, a flight from London to New York was a grueling 13 hours. All the while enduring the noise and vibration of piston engines and that occasional white-knuckle ride through a North Atlantic storm. And then…
Along came jetliners. They flew above the weather, and a flight from London to New York was cut to just seven hours. The Jet Age revolutionized air travel. But an even bigger leap forward was just around the corner. In the upcoming supersonic age, airliners would travel twice the speed of sound, and fly right at the edge of space. Cutting a trip from London to New York down to just three and half hours. It was supposed to be the next giant leap forward. But instead, going supersonic would end up as one of biggest missteps in commercial history.
In 1947, a rocket-powered plane breaks through the sound barrier. The first time in history an aircraft is recorded flying faster than the speed of sound. The monumental achievement puts to rest doubts about whether man or machine could even withstand supersonic flight. And it was just the start. New speed records quickly followed as supersonic flight became widely understood. And it wasn’t long before military aircraft were routinely flying well beyond the sound barrier.
If a commercial airliner could be built to do the same, a trip across the Atlantic could be cut down to just a couple hours, pulling the world closer together. But flying at supersonic speeds requires engines at least twice as powerful as those on subsonic jets. Streamlined wings and airframes, and materials that can withstand the high temperatures caused by air friction. With these technical hurdles, there were doubts about whether supersonic air travel made any sense. But only a decade earlier, there was similar skepticism around the switch from props to jets. Even so, the transition to jet age happened quickly and it left many aircraft builders behind. The upcoming supersonic age could end up doing the same.
By 1960, for every Comet sold, the Americans were selling another ten jetliners of their own. And the British quickly lost their early lead in the jet age. But if supersonic air travel was the next evolution, Britain would have another chance to retake the lead. By 1961, the British had come up with an early design for a supersonic airliner. At the same, the French were also working on a similar concept. As both efforts advanced, it made sense to join forces. And after a little creative deal-making and political maneuvering, the two countries partnered to launch the Concorde program, signing a treaty in 1962.
Britain and France, once fierce aircraft-building rivals would now work together to reinvent air travel. Thousands of the brightest French and British engineers were put to work making supersonic air travel a reality. Aside from maybe the Apollo moon landings, Concorde was the most technically ambitious project of the century. It would cruise at twice the speed of sound, with enough range to fly across the Atlantic. Although it would burn more fuel, Concorde would make two flights in the same time a regular jet could make just one. Offsetting higher fuel costs by reducing the number of aircraft needed for each route. By 1963, mockups were capturing the world’s imagination and dazzling the press. And Airlines placed orders for more than 70 Concords. A number expected to grow to at least 200 by 1975. And beneath Concorde’s elegant lines was triumph of engineering. It’s delta wing took over 5,000 hours of wind tunnel testing to perfect.An ingenious shape that allowed Concorde to fly beyond Mach 2, but also slow enough to fly into existing airports.
Afterburning turbojets were sourced from a Cold War-era bomber. But they were re-engineered with an innovative intake system that allowed for cruise at supersonic speeds for longer than aircraft in history. With a streamlined airframe, Concorde’s sleek nose obscured the pilots view. The solution was a nose cone that lowered to provide better visibility during takeoff and landing. The sheer number of innovations was astounding. But by 1967 Concorde was ready to be unveiled to the public. As Concorde landed, dozens of people telephoned the airport to complain about the noise. For those who live near the runways at Kennedy Airport claim it’s just the noiset plane min the world.
Zero Zero Two didn’t help with matters when it left with the loudest takeoff ever recorded at Tokyo Airport. This magnificent machine is a prime producer of a sound that nobody wants. The sonic boom. So far, 7,000 people have complained. The National Science Foundation of the United States Government has...has indicated that there will be severe environmental damage to the ozone layer...
In fact they say the plane is all wrong. Too dare, too small, too dirty, and too noisy. Your biggest customers have...have gone down the drain. No they haven’t gone down the drain, they...they’ve…. The Concorde has always seemed to me to be part of particularly French patriotism…. If you kill it, what do you put in its place. I do not kill it....It never lived...It never lived. There was no future for Concorde from the beginning. By the early 1970s, Concorde was facing a perfect storm. There were even doubts about whether the plane would make it into service.
For one, Concorde’s afterburning turbojets were twice as loud on takeoff compared to jetliners of the day And it led to protests around the world. And like all supersonic aircraft, Concorde generated sonic booms. Loud bangs heard by anyone under the supersonic flight path. Public tolerance for sonic booms had clearly been underestimated because one by one, countries started banning supersonic flights over their airspace. Evidence was also mounting that Concorde could damage the environment. If hundreds entered into service...regular high-altitude supersonic flights could destroy the ozone layer. But the biggest challenge facing the program was economics. Concorde had been designed in the 1960s, when jet fuel was just pennies per gallon. But it would enter commercial service in the mid-to-late 1970s, just as the price of oil began to skyrocket.
And Concorde burned nearly four times more fuel than even a first generation jetliner, while carrying fewer passengers. The economics made no sense. And by the end of 1973 nearly every airline cancelled their options. Leaving just a tiny handful of orders. Nowhere near the 150 planes the program needed to sell just to break even. All the while, development costs were spiraling out of control. To more than ten times the original estimate by the early 1970s. But with the Concorde treaty, neither France nor Britain could back out of the program without paying the other massive penalties. So with or without orders, the Concorde program would have to push forward. After 14 years of development, Concorde was finally ready to enter service, and on January 21, 1976, two Concords simultaneously lifted off carrying their first passengers.
It was a huge milestone for the program, but hardly the bold new era of mass supersonic air travel that many had once predicted. Because British Airways and Air France were the only airlines to put Concords into service. And both nationally owned airlines had been more or less been forced to. Each taking delivery of just a few planes. With limited range and over land flight restrictions, there were few route options available. Every time Concorde takes off, British Airways loses money, if it’s half empty as it is on the Bahrain route, it’s costing them up to twenty thousand Pounds a flight...In just the first few years, British Airways and Air France lost tens of millions operatingConcord…And by 1980….rumors were swirling that planes would be retired early.
It might seem a strange decision to have the government subsidizing one of the most expensive forms of transport in the world. But a dramatic turnaround was just around the corner. By the mid-1980s, British Airways and Air France were not only still operating their Concords, they had figured out how to make huge profits with them. With the prospect of supersonic air travel for the masses having come and gone, and with only fourteen Concords in service, the plane was transformed into more than just faster air travel.
Instead, Concorde was rebranded into an ultra-exclusive travel experience. Aimed at a new kind of passenger… with much deeper pockets. By the mid-1980s, the price of Concorde tickets had doubled from they were in the 1970s.
At one point costing upwards of 20,000 in today’s dollars for a London to New York round trip. Concorde might’ve failed to revolutionize air travel, but it also opened up a profitable new market serving celebrities and the ultra-rich.
And with only a handful of aircraft in service, public concern over the environment and noise faded.
Instead for nearly three decades, Concorde served as a symbol of pride for the British and French. But much like it’s development and introduction, Concorde’s final years would prove difficult. A tragic crash in July 2000, caused by a piece of runway debris, tarnished Concords impeccable safety record. A year later the events of September the 11th led to a huge decline in air travel. And then there were the challenges of maintaining such complex and aging planes.
In 2003, after 27 years of service, the most recognizable and iconic aircraft in history was retired by Air France and British Airways. Closing the final chapter on the most ambitious aviation project of the century. There’s a lot more to Concorde’s story. And you can keep watching on Nebula, where I cover the extraordinary effort to try to win over skeptical airlines and fascinating plans for a second-generation Concorde that never was. Nebula is where you can watch Mustard videos before they’re on YouTube. Without any ads or sponsor messages.
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