How many times did Concorde fly?

British Airways Concorde made just under 50,000 flights and flew more than 2.5m passengers supersonically.



The Concorde, the iconic supersonic airliner operated by British Airways and Air France, completed a combined total of approximately 100,000 flights over its 27-year commercial history. Specifically, British Airways' fleet of seven Concordes operated close to 50,000 flights, logging more than 140,000 flying hours and traveling roughly 140 million miles. Air France’s fleet completed a similar volume of service before both airlines retired the aircraft in 2003. Individual aircraft also boasted impressive statistics; for example, the British Airways aircraft registered as G-BOAA landed 8,064 times and went through 6,842 supersonic cycles. In total, only 20 Concorde aircraft were ever built, including six non-airline prototypes and pre-production models. These planes carried over 2.5 million passengers at twice the speed of sound, making the Concorde the most successful—and to date, the last—commercial supersonic transport to grace the skies.

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The Concorde's retirement was due to a number of factors. The supersonic aircraft was noisy and extremely expensive to operate, which restricted flight availability. The operating costs required fare pricing that was prohibitively high for many consumers.

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As a result, routes it could serve were limited – primarily London and Paris to New York and DC. But because of the time savings, and the elite status of flying the Concorde on these routes, airlines were able to charge a premium rate of $12,000 round-trip.

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Cruising at Mach 2 – or 1,350 mph – at 60,000 feet, Concorde flew five miles above and 800 mph faster than the subsonic 747s plodding across the Atlantic. The radio chatter between aircraft could get interesting, according to Tye.

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Concorde used the most powerful pure jet engines flying commercially. The Aircraft's four engines took advantage of what is known as 'reheat' technology, adding fuel to the final stage of the engine, which produced the extra power required for take-off and the transition to supersonic flight.

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In real life, Diana took several trips aboard the Concorde, both with Prince Charles and solo.

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BA never suffered a serious accident with its seven strong fleet. Concorde service was profitable by the late 1980s and if not for the economic downturn and Air France Concorde crash of 2000, may have survived to this day.

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Boom Supersonic, the US plane manufacturer, plans to have the answer with its new Overture jet, which is set to transport customers at twice the speed of today's fastest commercial aircraft, and is regarded as the new Concorde.

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Indeed, Concorde's technological innovations still awe aviation experts today. British and French engineers designed features for the unique challenges of traveling at supersonic speeds: the aircraft's adjustable droop nose, revamped brake systems, delta-shaped wing and expandable fuselage.

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On 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde passenger jet on an international charter flight from Paris to New York, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. It was the only fatal Concorde accident during its 27-year operational history.

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But when Concordes were in action, they would often break the sound barrier. Concorde's window-rattling sonic booms produced enormous sound energy, about 110 decibels, similar to the sound of explosions or thunder. The aircraft is dubbed the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST).

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But that hasn't stopped many aviation geeks from calling the new Boom supersonic aircraft Concorde 2.0, although the plane will officially be known under the name 'Overture'. Boom Supersonic's Overture plane is slated to roll out in 2025, fly in 2026 and expected to carry passengers by 2029.

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Concorde is sadly no longer flying, but it is still possible to visit some of the remaining 18 airframes, there are others not open to the public but you can still see them.

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Concorde was also popular with the Queen and celebrities. Joan Collins travelled with the aircraft so frequently that she became something of an ambassador for the service. Other notable passengers included Elton John, Mick Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor and Sean Connery.

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When operating at maximum performance, Concorde could fly at nearly 60,000 feet, flying far above both conventional jets of the time and those in the sky today.

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The North American X-15 may be the fastest plane in the world, with speeds at 4,520 mph and Mach 5.93. It's an experimental aircraft used and powered by NASA and USAF.

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