Would Concorde come back?

Technical, financial, and regulatory hurdles make a return to the skies extremely unlikely. Concorde is an aircraft that captures the imagination and is instantly recognizable even to non-aviation fanatics.



While the original Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde will never return to commercial service due to its aging airframes and astronomical maintenance costs, the "spirit" of Concorde is making a major comeback in 2026. The most prominent project is Boom Supersonic's "Overture" jet, which is currently in advanced testing phases with orders from major airlines like United and American. This new generation of supersonic travel solves the two main problems that killed Concorde: fuel efficiency and noise. Overture is designed to run on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and utilizes "muffled" sonic boom technology to potentially allow for faster-than-sound flight over land—something the original Concorde was banned from doing. Additionally, "Fly-Concorde Limited" and other heritage-focused groups have recently gained momentum due to changes in U.S. overland flight regulations. While you won't be flying on the exact 1970s-era planes, the era of crossing the Atlantic in under 4 hours is set to return to the public by the late 2020s.

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The challenges of manufacturing and certifying new parts, maintaining a licensed flight crew capable of flying it, and ongoing maintenance and preservation mean we are no closer to seeing Concorde flying again since its last flight in 2003.

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It was that the economics didn't work. It was simply too expensive for enough people to afford to fly. Narrator: That's because fuel was pricey, and almost 22 hours of maintenance was required for every hour in the air.

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Provided all goes well with XB-1 testing, Boom aims to roll out the Overture craft in 2026, with the first flight of the aircraft planned for no sooner than 2027. Overture will be a successor to the last commercial supersonic aircraft, the Concorde, which operated between 1969 and 2003.

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Boom Supersonic's Overture plane is slated to roll out in 2025, fly in 2026 and expected to carry passengers by 2029. Capable of flying at speeds of Mach 1.7 – twice the speed of today's fastest airliners – Overture will be able to connect more than 500 destinations in nearly half the time.

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Such speed didn't come cheap, though: A transatlantic flight required the high-maintenance aircraft to gulp jet fuel at the rate of one ton per seat, and the average round-trip price was $12,000.

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About Concorde With a take-off speed of 220 knots (250mph) and a cruising speed of 1350mph – more than twice the speed of sound - a typical London to New York crossing would take a little less than three and a half hours, as opposed to about eight hours for a subsonic flight.

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Former British Airways (BA) Concorde captain John Hutchinson said the fire on its own should have been 'eminently survivable; the pilot should have been able to fly his way out of trouble'. Hutchinson believed this did not happen due to a series of operational errors and 'negligence' by the maintenance department.

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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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The aircraft quickly proved itself unquestionably as it reached speeds of up to 1,354 mph. To put that into context, that is around 800 mph faster than a Boeing 747 and over 350 mph faster than the earth spins on its axis!

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It's no secret that Richard Branson tried to buy the Concorde fleet from British Airways in 2003, when the airline was forced to close its supersonic operation. At the time BA dismissed the offer as a publicity stunt from Virgin, saying: maintenance would be too expensive and it is just not viable.

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Virgin may have been shut down by British Airways over 15 years ago, but Virgin Galactic and Boom Supersonic briefly had a deal to acquire the Overture, the manufacturer's supersonic flagship jet, dubbed 'the New Concorde.

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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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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. Concorde earned £500 million for British Airways after tax profit, this was between a loss making 1982 and a highly profitable 2000 with just seven aircraft.

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The wings of a 747 are nowhere near strong enough to mount an engine capable of supersonic flight. Generally, engines used in aircraft like the Concorde or the F-22 are skinny and long. They also weigh quite a fair amount, further requiring a complete overhaul of the way the engines would be supported.

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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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The power, or volume, of the shock wave depends on the quantity of air that is being accelerated, and thus the size and shape of the aircraft. As the aircraft increases speed the shock cone gets tighter around the craft and becomes weaker to the point that at very high speeds and altitudes no boom is heard.

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Currently, U.S. law prohibits flight in excess of Mach 1 over land unless specifically authorized by the FAA for purposes stated in the regulations. The two supersonic rulemaking activities would not rescind the prohibition of flight in excess of Mach 1 over land.

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