‘BA may clip Concorde’s wings and sell her to Dubai’
‘There is some corner of a foreign desert that is for ever England. Dubai already has the Queen Elizabeth 2, the world’s fastest cruise ship, and now it is bidding for Concorde, the fastest airliner.
Forty years ago tomorrow, the British version of the graceful delta-winged aircraft took to the skies on its maiden flight.
The 22-minute journey made by 002 from Filton, Bristol, to Fairford, Gloucestershire, prompted an outpouring of national pride that swept aside complaints about the cost, soot and, of course, the deafening roar.
Times Archive, 1969: ‘The big bird flies pretty well’
The Anglo-French Concorde supersonic airliner took off on its maiden flight today
Archive Topic: Concorde
RELATED LINKS
How the 747 won out in battle of the skies
Concorde is still a symbol of Gallic pride
BA showdown looms as Walsh seeks to cut pay
Yet the anniversary celebrations will be overshadowed for many Concorde enthusiasts by the disclosure that British Airways may betray a promise to put a Concorde on public display at Heathrow and instead cut it into pieces and ship it to the Gulf.
A Dubai-based consortium, advised by former BA Concorde crew, is planning to turn the aircraft into a tourist attraction, possibly on one of the manmade palm-shaped islands. It would be jointly marketed with the QE2, which was sold to Dubai last year to become a floating hotel.
The aircraft’s wings would have to be sliced off before it could be loaded on to a ship.
BA grounded its seven-strong Concorde fleet six years ago and gave six to museums. But it kept one, Alpha Bravo, and for the past six years hid it away behind the airline’s engineering base at the eastern end of Heathrow. Only those who know where to look will see the distinctive slender nose.
By contrast, an Air France Concorde stands proudly on a plinth outside the airline’s headquarters at Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris. Another one is preserved at the Paris Air and Space Museum by former engineers who regularly run the electronic and hydraulic systems.
BA ordered in 2003 that Concorde’s systems should be disabled. Jock Lowe, the marque’s former chief pilot, accused the airline at the time of undermining efforts to operate heritage flights.
Despite making up to £20 million profit a year from Concorde during 27 years of commercial flights, BA is refusing to help any of the groups seeking to get the aircraft back in the air. It has repeatedly rejected requests to publish a feasibility study. BA claims it showed that it would be too expensive, but it will not share the figures with the Save Concorde Group, which believes it could raise sponsorship for a return to flight. A BA spokesman said: “It is an internal document and wasn’t intended to be shared. It has commercial information in it.”
The airline has also been distancing itself from Concorde in its branding. Two years ago, BA removed a model of Concorde from a roundabout on the approach road from the M4 to Heathrow where it had been for 16 years. It has been replaced with a model of an Emirates Airbus A380 superjumbo.
Ben Lord, of the Save Concorde Group, said: “Sending it to Dubai would be a kick in the teeth for Britain’s aviation heritage. Chopping off its wings and putting it on a ship would be the final insult.”
A source close to the Dubai consortium said it would spend several million pounds restoring the aircraft’s interior, much of which was removed and used as spares on other Concordes. He said: “If any Concorde was going to return to flight, Alpha Bravo would not be the one because it did not have the safety modifications made to others after the Paris crash in 2000. It would be very well taken care of in Dubai.”
BA admitted that it was considering removing Alpha Bravo from Heathrow, but refused to comment on its discussions with the Dubai consortium.’
By: EGTC - 11th April 2009 at 00:48
Concorde was the symbol of modern aviation…. 40 years ago. Why would an airline spend precious money on what is effectively a dinosaur from a previous age? BA need to look to the future, not the past.
One might point out that if it was a symbol of modern aviation 40yrs ago then its interesting that there has been no replacement for it, in other words, no other supersonic airliner.. I’d say it was more of a step back than forward when she was retired..
Also BA promised to lookafter the concordes and retained ownership so its their duty to lookafter them.. Why would they retain ownership if they werent prepared to lookafter them? Or maybe it was just so that Sir Richard Branson couldnt get hold of one back in 2003 and kept it flying.
By: Lindy's Lad - 10th April 2009 at 23:17
Concorde was the symbol of modern aviation…. 40 years ago. Why would an airline spend precious money on what is effectively a dinosaur from a previous age? BA need to look to the future, not the past.
Now that I’m about to be brutally murdered for heracy, lets face it, BA have never been great at saving their heritage – look at the unique airliner collection at Cosford. Just remember that there are plenty left, but BA have lived up to form by not saving anything themselves. Its better off with someone who’ll look after it.
By: EGTC - 10th April 2009 at 20:36
True… nowadays Britain is just one big sell out.
By: lancastermkx - 10th April 2009 at 12:43
Bloody disgusting, just been looking at some youtube footage of Concordes life, it all soon gets forgotten doesnt it,I know we have some in museums, hell i helped reassemble two of them, Where is Englands backbone going, once a proud nation of our engineering achievments. All being sold out.:(
By: EGTC - 9th April 2009 at 20:34
Its the fact that, as Ren Frew has stated, she’ll be removed from her main operational base. Filton has a concorde for obvious reasons, but LHR was where BA’s concordes were based yet if she leaves for Dubai then there will be nothing to show that concorde ever flew from LHR considering the model has been replaced by an Emirates A380.
So if BA really want rid of Concorde how would they feel if a certain Sir Richard Branson decided he wanted to buy it and either get it flying again (i know, wishful thinking) or slap big Virgin atlantic stickers on it and put it on display at LHR?
By: Ren Frew - 9th April 2009 at 19:54
Haven’t we heard this before?
The owners of an aircraft don’t want to spend the money to keep a type flying.
Sometimes it comes on the market and there is no UK buyer or official interest in preserving it.Well meaning airplane fans don’t want to accept that and get upset if there is even talk of the airframe going somewhere else.
Even if it is going to a good home.People, how many Concordes do you need in a country the size of Idaho? :rolleyes:
I take your point Mr Boyle, but if BA cannot even retain an example of the type at it’s main operational base then that kind of says it all about BA’s attitude towards it’s history. But it’s no surprise, we’ve already seen what happened to the Cosford Collection. You may be correct, perhaps the Emirates are more interested in preserving fine examples of Britain’s engineering prowess than Britain is ?
What next…. ? The Forth Railway Bridge to Saudi Arabia ??? :confused:
By: J Boyle - 9th April 2009 at 18:42
Haven’t we heard this before?
The owners of an aircraft don’t want to spend the money to keep a type flying.
Sometimes it comes on the market and there is no UK buyer or official interest in preserving it.
Well meaning airpane fans don’t want to accept that and get upset if there is even talk of the airframe going somewhere else.
Even if it is going to a good home.
People, how many Concordes do you need in a country the size of Idaho? :rolleyes:
By: David Burke - 9th April 2009 at 17:59
Your still cutting the wings off a machine in a way that was not envisioned by the manufacturer.
By: flyPHanuk - 9th April 2009 at 17:14
Sad as I (well, we all in the area I suspect) will be to see AB go, she does appear to have been a nuisance to the airline the way she has been tugged about over the years, She has had very little hangar time I can recall and I’m surprised she was not ‘dinged’ by something during the period in front of the Virgin hangar on the main airport ramp. I saw her a couple of weeks back on the main BA base by 27R backed into one of the engine run up bays.
For transport she will naturally have to be disassembled, but if that is done the same way the East Fortune and Brooklands airframes were and then put back together as neatly she will at least appear structurally complete. The work done on BBDG at Brooklands on a limited budget is I think magnificent.
If they have the money in Dubai to look after here out there good luck to them, they are obviously willing to take a pride in something we in the UK should have done, but we do have a few (6?) here still. I agree it should have gone in or near T5 but it evidently did not suit the public image required in the end by the airline and airport.
By: OneLeft - 9th April 2009 at 12:07
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_7965000/7965597.stm
1L.
By: KabirT - 9th April 2009 at 11:25
What will it do in Dubai?
This is absolutely absurd on BAs part to even think this, why not just sell the Queen to the village people?
By: Ren Frew - 9th April 2009 at 11:23
This story comming out the same time as the first British built Concorde 002 G-BSST celebrates forty years of Concorde.
G-BSST took to the air forty years ago to day and the latest blow for Concorde is one might be going to Dubai as an attraction.
There seems to be a lot of money down there so how about them funding a number of them back into the air????????????
BBC Breakfast News carried a nice report this morning live from inside G-BSST, I daresay there’ll be more on the News Channel and main bulletins throughout the day.
If the oil rich countries want to do something, maybe it should be in funding research into future SST’s…?
By: Paul F - 9th April 2009 at 09:50
There seems to be a lot of money down there so how about them funding a number of them back into the air????????????
How long will it take for people to understand that Concorde will never fly again – Airbus has publically stated it has withdrawn its support for the design, various systems have been removed/disabled etc. The spares network has been disbanded, dispersed, air crew currency has probably lapsed – face it guys and girls, she will NEVER fly again.
The sooner people understand that any talk of restoring any of the grounded examples to flight is nonsense the better.
I doubt even consortiums from Gulf states would stump up the multi million pound costs needed. The costs involved in returning the Vulcan to flight pale into insignificance compared to those needed to get a Concorde back into the air.
Much as I’d love to see her fly again, it just isn’t going to happen.
Paul F
By: N.P.Vibert - 9th April 2009 at 09:07
This story comming out the same time as the first British built Concorde 002 G-BSST celebrates forty years of Concorde.
G-BSST took to the air forty years ago to day and the latest blow for Concorde is one might be going to Dubai as an attraction.
There seems to be a lot of money down there so how about them funding a number of them back into the air????????????
By: Lindy's Lad - 9th April 2009 at 00:06
I knew about this late last year. As far as I’m aware, its a done deal. Keep your eyes open around late April / May.
By: Ren Frew - 9th April 2009 at 00:04
Wasn’t it supposed to be going on display within T5 ? Did I hear that they would have had to get it in early an build around it ? Perhaps they might cut it up to get it in like the proposal for Dubai. In fact G-BOAA was chopped up to get it into a barge for removal to the Museum of Flight at East Fortune.
By: Arabella-Cox - 8th April 2009 at 23:47
Would really love to see it on displat at LHR somewhere, but to be quite honest, Dubai would be better than hidden behind the maintenance facilites for another 10 years.
By: EGTC - 8th April 2009 at 22:07
I sure hope she doesnt end up in Dubai. BA should be putting her on display at Heathrow, not sending her off abroad.
Gotta see the funny side though, once BA boasted about flying concorde, now wants rid of it and wont help those who want it to fly again..
as for heathrow.. emirates A380 at the entrance of heathrow.. Are we not allowed to have a british airline at the entrance of a british airport? Maybe all RAF Bases should have the BF109 as a gate guard instead of a spitfire..
Sign In
April 8, 2009 at 9:44 pm