In total 20 Concordes were built between 1966 and 1979. The first 2 Concordes were prototype models, one built in France and the other in England.
Another 2 pre-production prototypes were built to further refine design and test out ground breaking systems before the production runs, of only 16 aircraft in total, commenced in both countries.
The first production aircraft off each production line did not enter service
but acted as a test bed for production techniques, airline training and further
development work. They also paved the way for the granting of airworthiness
certification as well as providing extensive route proving information.
In the end only British Airways and Air France
purchased Concordes, with the airlines initially purchasing 5 and 4 aircraft
respectively. The 5 surplus
models were placed with the airlines in 1980 and eventually purchased for a
nominal cost of £1 / 1 Franc each at the end of the Concorde programme
a few years later, as part of a multi million pound support costs deal. British
Airways
acquired the
2 unsold
UK
built
aircraft,
while Air
France bought the 3 unsold French built craft.
British Airways have a fleet of 7 aircraft while Air France had 5 aircraft.
The British Airways Concordes have nearly 150,000 hours of flight time so far,
which equates to roughly 52,000 flights,while Air France have over 105,000
hrs of flight time. The two prototypes, two pre production and one first
production
model
are
now
on
show in museums
on both sides of the channel. The first British production Concorde is now
owned by BA and used for spares.
Air France returned 4 aircraft to service
after the Paris accident in July 2000, of the others; one was retired for
spares use in 1982, one never completed a
D check
(due
to
retirement) and
the final one was the aircraft lost in the accident. The 4 servicable aircraft
were retired to museums in France, Germany and the
US.
British Airways operated 5 aircraft, after
the accident with a further 2 in storage at London Heathrow, that were not
modified
post accident. All 7 have now been retired, and are on display around the
world.
Click on the menu to the left for details on the fleet of Concordes and their current location, as well as an overview on how Concorde was numbered.
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