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The transcript of the cockpit during the only crash in Concorde's history

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The Air France Concorde, registered F-BTSC, was to depart Paris-Charles de Gaulle for a flight (4590) to New York-JFK. Departure was delayed by about one hour because the crew had requested a replacement of the thrust reverser pneumatic motor of the no.2 engine. Also, the rear bogie truck of the left hand main undercarriage was replaced. When all 100 passengers had boarded, the plane taxied to runway 26R (4217m long).

Take-off weight was calculated to be 186,9 tons, including 95 tons of fuel, which was one tonne over the maximum take-off weight. At 14.42:17h the crew were cleared for takeoff. At 14.42:31h, the captain commenced takeoff. At 14.42:54.6, the co-pilot called one hundred knots, then V1 nine seconds later. A few seconds after that, tyre No 2 (right front) on the left main landing gear was destroyed after having run over a strip of metal lost by a Continental Airlines DC-10-30, registered N13067 which departed Paris as flight 055 to Newark five minutes before.

The destruction of the tyre in all probability resulted in large pieces of rubber being thrown against the underside of the left wing and the rupture of a part of fuel tank 5. A severe fire broke out under the left wing and around the same time engines 1 and 2 suffered a loss of thrust, severe for engine 2, slight for engine 1. By 14.43:13h, as the captain commenced the rotation, the controller informed the crew the presence of flames behind the aircraft. The co-pilot acknowledged this transmission and the flight engineer announced the failure of engine nr.2. Nine seconds later the engine fire alarm sounded and the flight engineer announced "shut down engine 2" then the captain called for the "engine fire" procedure. A few seconds later, the engine 2 fire handle was pulled and the fire alarm stopped. The co-pilot drew the captain's attention to the airspeed, which was 200 kt. At 14.43:30h, the captain called for landing gear retraction. The controller confirmed the presence of large flames behind the aircraft. Twelve seconds later the engine fire alarm sounded again for around 12 seconds. It sounded for the third time at about 14.43:58h and continued until the end of the flight. At 14.43:56h, the co-pilot commented that the landing gear had not retracted and made several callouts in relation to the airspeed. Three seconds later, the GPWS alarm sounded several times. The co-pilot informed ATC that they were trying for Le Bourget aerodrome. Then the number 1 engine lost power as well. The aircraft entered a left turn until control was lost, crashing into hotel 'Hotellisimo' and bursting into flames.

Transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)

14 h 13 min 13 s, FE "so total fuel gauge I've got ninety-six four with ninety-six three for ninety-five on board".

14 h 13 min 46 s, FO "fire protection", FE "tested".

14 h 14 min 04 s, FO "ZFW ZF CG", FE "so I've got ninety-one nine and fifty-two two".

14 h 14 min 17 s, Captain "the reference speeds so V1 a hundred and fifty, VR one hundred and ninety-eight, V2 two hundred and twenty two hundred and forty two hundred and eighty it's displayed on the left".

14 h 14 min 28 s, FO "trim", Captain "it's thirteen degrees".

14 h 14 min 53 s, Captain "next the control lever is at fourteen and you'll have N2 of ninety-seven and a bit, FE "ninety-seven".

14 h 22 min 22 s, Captain "ok we're going to do one hundred eighty-five one hundred that's to say we'll be at the structural limit", "structural err fifty-four per cent CG (*) see".

14 h 37 min 51 s, FO "hey, you've got the indicators going into Green all the time..."

14 h 38 min 55 s, FE "you're right, we'll stay in Yell....in Green".

14 h 38 min 59 s, FO "we'll stay in Green, eh."

14 h 39 min 04 s, Captain "so the takeoff is.... at maximum takeoff weight one hundred eighty tons one hundred which means four reheats with a minimum N2 of a hundred and three and a failure N2 of ninety-eight", "Between zero and one hundred knots I stop for any aural warning the tyre flash", "tyre flash and failure callout from you right", "Between one hundred knots and V1 I ignore the gong I stop for an engine fire a tyre flash and the failure callout", "after V1 we continue on the SID we just talked about we land back on runway twenty-six right".

14 h 40 min 19 s, Captain "How much fuel have we used?", FE "We've got eight hundred kilos there".

14 h 41 min 09 s, FE "Brake temperatures checked one hundred fifty". The Captain asks "Is it hotter on the left or the right there?". The FE answers "it's about the same".

14 h 42 min 31 s, Captain "top".

14 h 42 min 54.6 s, FO "one hundred knots".

14 h 42 min 57 s, FE "four greens".

14 h 43 min 03.7 s, FO "V1".

Note : the CVR working group had detected a low frequency noise at 14 h 43 min 07 s, during the takeoff roll, which was transcribed in the preliminary transcript. Subsequent advanced filtering work showed that this low frequency noise was in fact present throughout the tape: it is a noise associated with the recording induced by the tape itself or the recording circuit. It was thus removed from the final transcript.

14 h 43 min 10.1 s, noise followed, from 14 h 43 min 11 s to 14 h 43 min 13.8 s, by a change in the background noise. In the same time per"d the FO announces "watch out".

14 h 43 min 11.9 s, an unintelligible sound is heard, then at 14 h 43 min 13.0 s, the FE says "watch out".

14 h 43 min 13.4 s, message from the controller indicating flames at the rear and read back by the FO.

14 h 43 min 16.4 s, FE "(stop) ".

14 h 43 min 20.4 s, FE "Failure eng... failure engine two".

14 h 43 min 22.8 s, fire alarm.

14 h 43 min 24.8 s, FE "shut down engine two".

14 h 43 min 25.8 s, Captain "engine fire procedure" and in the following second the noise of a selector and fire alarm stops.

14 h 43 min 27.2 s, FO "watch the airspeed the airspeed the airspeed".

14 h 43 min 29.3 s, fire handle pulled.

14 h 43 min 30 s, Captain "gear on retract". In the course of the following eight seconds the crew mention the landing gear several times.

14 h 43 min 42.3 s, second fire alarm.

14 h 43 min 45.6 s, FO "(I'm trying)", FE "I'm firing it".

14 h 43 min 46.3 s, Captain "(are you) shutting down engine two there".

14 h 43 min 48.2 s, FE "I've shut it down".

14 h 43 min 49.9 s, FO "the airspeed".

14 h 43 min 56.7 s, FO "the gear isn't retracting".

14 h 43 min 58.6 s, third fire alarm.

Between 14 h 43 min 59 s and 14 h 44 min 03 s, three GPWS warnings are heard and at the same the FO announces "the airspeed".

14 h 44 min 14.6 s, FO "Le Bourget Le Bourget" then a few seconds later "negative, we're trying Le Bourget", in reaction to the instructions given to the fire chief by the controller.

14 h 44 min 31.6 s, end of the recording.

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The Air France Concorde, registered F-BTSC, was to depart Paris-Charles de Gaulle for a flight (4590) to New York-JFK. Departure was delayed by about one hour because the crew had requested a replacement of the thrust reverser pneumatic motor of the no.2 engine. Also, the rear bogie truck of the left hand main undercarriage was replaced.

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It is about the how the only accident that the concorde was in happened

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An article about the general facts surrounding Concorde

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Table of Contents

How was the Concorde developed?

When was the first Concorde flight?

How much was a ticket on the Concorde?

Why was the Concorde retired?

This article was most recently revised and updated by

Concorde, the first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane (or supersonic transport, SST), built jointly by aircraft manufacturers in Great Britain and France. The Concorde made its first transatlantic crossing on September 26, 1973, and it inaugurated the world's first scheduled supersonic passenger service on January 21, 1976- British Airways initially flying the aircraft from London to Bahrain and Air France flying it from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. Both airlines added regular service to Washington, D.C., in May 1976 and to New York City in November 1977. Other routes were added temporarily or seasonally, and the Concorde was flown on chartered flights to destinations all over the world. However, the aircraft's noise and operating expense limited its service. Financial losses led both airlines to cut routes, eventually leaving New York City as their only regular destination. Concorde operations were finally ceased by Air France in May 2003 and by British Airways in October 2003. Only 14 of the aircraft actually went into service.

The Concorde was the first major cooperative venture of European countries to design and build an aircraft. On November 29, 1962, Britain and France signed a treaty to share costs and risks in producing an SST. British Aerospace and the French firm Aérospatiale were responsible for the airframe, while Britain's Rolls-Royce and France's SNECMA (Société Nationale d'Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation) developed the jet engines. The result was a technological masterpiece, the delta-wing Concorde, which made its first flight on March 2, 1969. The Concorde had a maximum cruising speed of 2,179 km (1,354 miles) per hour, or Mach 2.04 (more than twice the speed of sound), allowing the aircraft to reduce the flight time between London and New York to about three hours. The development costs of the Concorde were so great that they could never be recovered from operations, and the aircraft was never financially profitable. Nevertheless, it proved that European governments and manufacturers could cooperate in complex ventures, and it helped to ensure that Europe would remain at the technical forefront of aerospace development.

On July 25, 2000, a Concorde en route from Paris to New York City suffered engine failure shortly after takeoff when debris from a burst tire caused a fuel tank to rupture and burst into flames. The aircraft crashed into a small hotel and restaurant. All 109 persons on board, including 100 passengers and 9 crew members, died; 4 people on the ground were also killed.

Amy Tikkanen.

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Concorde, the first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane (or supersonic transport, SST), built jointly by aircraft manufacturers in Great Britain and France. The Concorde made its first transatlantic crossing on September 26, 1973, and it inaugurated the world's first scheduled supersonic passenger service on January 21, 1976-British Airways initially flying the aircraft from London to Bahrain and Air France flying it from Paris to Rio de Janeiro.

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Video of a flight from within Concorde, showing the experience

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Concorde Flight-New York to London with detailed Captain's commentary 2003 (No music, best video!)

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A visual of how the Concordes taxi take-off and land

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Concorde-From the cockpit, Take-off and landing.

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Air France's history with a bit about Concorde

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The history of Air France can also be found on www.airfrancelasaga.com

1909 - 1932 The Pioneers

The Forerunners

As the oldest air transport company in France, the Compagnie Générale Transaérienne takes the Air France family tree back to 1909. It mainly operated airships and seaplanes.

The first passenger airlines appeared at the end of WWI, backed by private capital mainly from corporate bankers in association with aircraft manufacturers. Pierre-Georges Latécoère launched Les Lignes Latécoère in 1918 to carry mail. This was followed by l'Aéronavale, Les Messagerie Aériennes, les Grands Express Aériens, Les Lignes Farman and Les Messageries Transaériennes in 1919.

The Compagnie de Navigation Franco-Roumaine was set up the following year

The First Mergers

Little by little, French civil aviation became increasingly organized, encouraged by the French government, which substantially a business that was structurally loss-making. An initial merger took place in 1921 between C.G.T. and Les Messageries Aériennes. Les Messageries Aériennes and Les Grands Express Aériens subsequently merged under the Air Union brand. Aéronavale joined Air Union in 1926.

L' Aéropostale, set up in 1927, opened routes to Spain, Morocco and South America, thanks to a far-sighted businessman by the name of Marcel Bouilloux-Lafont, who took over the C.G.E.A. ( Compagnie Générale d'Entreprises Aéronautiques, formerly Lignes Latécoère).

Air Union and les Lignes Farman operated flights in Western Europe. The Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne ( CIDNA), formerly Franco-Roumaine, flew to Eastern Europe, and Air Orient set up in 1930, from Air Union-Lignes d'Orient, formerly Messageries Transaériennes, extended its network to the Far East.

Conquering the Skies

This was the time of the pioneering spirit, of eminent personalities and magnificent feats : Didier Daurat, Director of Operations for Lignes Latécoère and later Aéropostale, Jean Mermoz, Henri Guillaumet, Marcel Reine, Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Paul Vachet, Raymond Vanier, Jean Dabry, Georges Pivot, Léo Gimié, and many pilots and mechanics took great risks to take the mail as far as Santiago in Chile. Meanwhile Maurice Noguès pioneered new routes to Asia, and Jean Dagnaux to Africa.

Commercial air transport began with the carriage of mail. At the time, passenger transportation was developing fast, but was still reserved for a very select few ( only 6786 passengers in 1922) .

From 1923 to 1933, the French airline network grew fivefold.

1933 - 1939 The Birth of Air France

Restructuring

The financial crisis in the early 1930s, which inevitably left its mark on civil aviation, and the political determination of Pierre Cot, Minister of Aviation, resulted in the first major restructuring of the French air transport industry in 1933.

In 1933, Air Orient, Air Union, the Société Générale de Transport Aérien ( S.G.T.A. formerly Lignes Farman) and the C.I.D.N.A. ( formerly Franco-Roumaine), started up a joint airline named Société Centrale pour l'Exploitation de Lignes Aériennes ( S.C.E.L.A.). The airline was named Air France, in August 1933, following the takeover of the assets of the bankrupt Aéropostale. Air France was officially inaugurated at the Paris-Le Bourget Airport on 7 october 1933. Using the Air Orient winged seahorse logo, it moved into Air Orient's offices at 2, rue Marbeuf in Paris.

Modernizing the network

The main tasks of Air France's executives were to upgrade the 37,800-km network covering Europe, the Mediterranean region and South America, and destinations along the Saigon route. They also had to streamline the very mixed fleet of 259 aircraft of 31 different types. This was done using only French aircraft, such as the Bloch 220, Potez 62, Breguet Wibault 282 and the Dewoitine 338, which cruised at a speed of 250 km/hr.

The arrival of the Dewoitine 338 in Asia in 1938 reduced the flight time between Marseille and Saigon to 6 days ( 5 as from 1939) with no change of aircraft.

Comfort and safety

Comfort and safety were the two priorities of the brand new airline, which provided luggage racks, individual fans, heating, and the highly appreciated service of a steward. In terms of piloting, the introduction of radio goniometry meant that the plane could be flown in conditions of reduced visibility, which was quite a feat at the time.

1938 ended well for Air France, which, with 100 aircraft, boasted the world's third largest network ( 46,500 km), divided into four regions : Continental Europe including London with 4 daily flights, North Africa, South America and the Far East, via the Middle East. It carried 104,424 passengers (52,100 in 1933), 1,368 tonnes of cargo (973 tonnes in 1933), and 882 tonnes of mail ( 153 tonnes in 1933).

The war interrupted this expansion, the financing of which was still somewhat uncertain.

1940- 1945 Expansion interrupted by the war

Lost momentum

On the eve of the W II, as the airline industry entered trhe world economy, French air travel services were provided by five airlines : Air France and its subsidiary Air France Transatlantique ( for North America), Aéromaritime, specialized in Central Africa, Air Afrique ( which, in 1937, brought together L.A.N.A., Lignes Aériennes Nord Africaines, the Régie Air Afrique, and the Régie Malgache) and Air Bleu, set up in 1935, for domestic mail transport, by Beppo de Massimi, with Didier Daurat, as Director of Operations.

Air France significantly reduced its operations during the war. In 1941, a network of Lignes Aériennes Militaires ( LAM) was set up in Damascus. Run by Lionel de Marmier, under the authority of the General de Gaulle, its purpose was to link up the territories of Free France. It was replaced in early 1945 by the Réseau des Lignes Aériennes Françaises ( R.L.A.F.).

Nationalisation

On June 26, 1945, the French civil aviation industry was nationalized and the former private company Air France became state-owned. A decision on December 29,1945 terminated the activities of the RLAF and turned the entire French airline network over to the Société Nationale Air France.

In 1945, Air france and the French Postal Services set up thre Centre d'Exploitation Postale, called the Postale de Nuit (night mail). It was run by Didier Daurat to begin with, and then by Raymond Vanier as of 1st January 1948.

The network then covered 160000 km, the largest in the world.

1946 - 1948 Reconstruction

Redeployment

Now that the war, with the inevitable misery and destruction, was over, an abundance of Douglas DC3 and DC4 surplus American aircraft and the construction of the French Bloch 161 Languedoc new technology aircraft enabled French air transport to take off again. Air travel was gradually changing, increasingly becoming the rule rather than the exception.

World-scale organization

Air France became a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO) as well as of the International Air Transport Association ( IATA), founded in 1945, and took its place among the world's major airlines. The French Government authorized the setting up of new airlines, the TAI ( Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux) in 1946, and SATI in 1948, which subsequently became UAT ( Union Aéromaritime de Transport) in 1949.

A new dimension

In March of 1946, the first stewardesses appeared, and in June the first students took the entrance exam to the Ecole des Apprentis de Vilgenis. The Paris-Invalides Terminal opened, with buses providing transportation from Paris to the Airport.

On 1 July of the same year, the Paris-New-York routewas officially inaugurated, operated by a DC4 with a flight time of 19 hours and 50 minutes. In 1947, Air France and the French Postal Services set up the Centre d'Exploitation Postale, called the Postale de Nuit (night mail). It was run by Didier Daurat to begin with, and then by Raymond Vanier as from 1st January 1948.

The network then covered 160 000 km, the largest in the world.

Air France regained its position among the world's leading airlines. It operated a fleet of 130 aircraft and got off to a flying start over the next few years. From January 1, 1946 to December 31, 1948, the number of staff averaging 31 years old more than doubled, going from 6,033 to 13,725. 61% of these had been with the company less than 2 years.

1949 - 1959 Soaring high

In 1948, Air France became a National Company, a state-owned corporation governed by the Civil Aviation Code. Passenger traffic increased by an average of 14% per year.

A new airport

The Paris-Orly Airport, opened to air traffic in 1946. It handled long-haul flights only until it took over medium-haul flights from Le Bourget in 1952. The network continued to expand. In 1953, it covered 250 000 km (46 500 km in 1938). The fleet was modernized. In January 1954, it included the Douglas DC3 and DC4, but also the Bloch 161 "Languedoc" and Vickers Viscount, whose comfort was particularly appreciated by passengers. They also liked the solid Bréguet Deux Ponts and the grand Lockheed Constellation flying steamships that crossed the Atlantic on a daily basis.

The golden age

Domestic routes

Air Inter was set up on November 12, 1954, on the initiative of a group of private sector carriers and bankers. Its mission was to promote a streamlined network of domestic air services between French cities. In 1955 several companies invested in Air Inter, including Air France (24%), The French Railways-SNCF (24%), and the Caisse des dépôts et consignations (4%). On march 16, 1958, it operated its first flight to Strasbourg, but its scheduled passenger operations only really started in 1960.

1960 - 1973 Jet era and modernization

Jet propulsion

Jet propulsion was responsible for the significant changes in air transport in the early 1960s.

Air France was one of the first international airlines to acquire jets. After the De Havilland Comet, grounded for technical reasons, Air France put into service the Caravelle and the Boeing B707 in 1959/1960, for which it had signed purchasing agreements in 1956. According to the slogan of the day, Air France operated "the best two jets on the largest network in the world, which then on covered 350,000 km.

The last long-haul aircraft with propellers were withdrawn from operation in 1966.

With the Boeing B707, flight time was cut in half. New York was now only 8 hours and 10 minutes from Paris. Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro were served by non-stop flights. Time-savings were coupled with a comfort till then unheard of. After TAI, the precursor, Air France was one of the first airlines to introduce movies on long-haul flights.

As for Air Inter, it provided services on a tight-knit domestic network, purchased Vickers Viscounts and offered as early as 1963, the world's firts air travel saver cards.

In 1969, an Air Inter Caravelle made the first All Weather Landing.

In 1961, Air France set up its operations and workshops in the extended and modernised buildings of the Paris-Orly Airport.

A new organization

On February 1, 1963, the French Government decided to redistribute international traffic rights and assigned routes in West (except Dakar), Central and Southern Africa, the Pacific and the US West Coast to the private-sector airline, UTA, which resulted from the merger of UAT and TAI in 1963.

An international Dimension

From 1963 to 1970, Air France was increasingly subject to international competition. The share of international traffic in the airline's total traffic exceeded 90% in 1966. It increased at an average yearly rate of 7,5%, less however than that of the previous period.

In 1965, Air France moved its head office to the Paris-Montparnasse district.

New aircraft were put into service, the medium-haul Boeing 727 (1968) and the long-haul Boeing 747 (1970), the century's biggest passenger airliner which could carry some 500 passengers. It added a new dimension to the passenger air transport industry. The Orly Ouest Terminal, well adapted to domestic traffic, opened in 1971

Expansion of air freight

In 1972, Air France set up a cargo division and developed this activity, which grew considerably. In 1974 the Boeing 747 freighter, known as the Super Pelican joined the fleet of Boeing 707 freighters known as the Pelican (1965). Air France thus became one of the leading airlines for the transport of air freight and mail.

Information systems

1974 - 1989 Mass air travel and new technologies

Increased capacity

The arrival of wide-bodied aircraft with 300 to 500 seats ( Airbus A300, Boeing 747) opened up air travel to a larger number of people. However, it coincided with the world economic crisis and rising fuel prices triggered by the first oil crisis in 1973, followed by the second in 1979.

Economic crisis

This shook up the economics of air travel and competition became even fiercer. Price wars, the haphazard development of charter airlines, and chronic overcapacity characterized this period.

Air France coped with the situation by diversifying its offer and developing its cargo operations. It became one of the first airlines in the world to become committed to developing mass air travel, notably with travel promotions such as Vols Vacances (1979). It introduced its Business Class (1981), followed by Air France Le Club (1983) to meet the demands of its business customers.

As for Air Inter, the French domestic carrier innovated with tricolour flights and tiered pricing depending on flight times.

Paris-Charles de Gaulle Terminal 1

In 1974, Air France and UTA moved into the new airport, Paris-Charles de Gaulle terminal 1. Air France was the launch airline for the Airbus A300, Europe's first medium-haul wide-bodied aircraft. UTA operated the Douglas DC10, first flying it in 1973 as part of the technical cooperation with KLM, SAS and Swissair ( KSSU Group)

Paris-Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2

In 1982, Air France moved into the state-of-the-art terminal at Paris-Charles de Gaulle terminal 2. It served as a base for conquering the European market with a small medium-sized aircraft, the Boeing 737, which replaced the Caravelle.

Supersonic air travel

On January 21, 1976, Air France introduced the supersonic Concorde on the Paris-Dakar-Rio de Janeiro route. The pride of the French and British aeronautics industry, it came onto the scene at a difficult time from an economic point of view. No aircraft built since has fulfilled such dreams as has the Concorde. It flew at Mach 2,02 speed ( 2,200 km/ph).

Maturity

Cutting-edge technology

In June 1987, Air France Iberia, Lufthansa and SAS jointly developed a new global distribution system (GDS) - AMADEUS - which was able to compete with the large-scale American systems.

In July 1987, Air France introduced in-flight video on all its long-haul Airbus A300, then on all its Boeing 747.

In 1988, Air France and Air Inter took a major technological step forward with the Airbus A 320, the first fly-by-wire plane.

On July 1, 1988, the deregulation of the European air transport industry, due to be fully implemented by 1993, was gradually phased in. Competition increased significantly and became the norm.

1990 - 1998 Recovery and profitable growth

The Air France Group

In the early 1990s, the economic crisis hit airlines worldwide and led to a series of mergers. Air France, UTA and Air Inter merged to form one of the world's largest air transport groups, the Air France Group, on January 12, 1990 (after Air France acquires UTA stake)

Back to profitability

Air France developed a staff-backed, wide-scale strategic plan, the Corporate Plan, which covered the period 1994-1996.

The company caught up with its rivals by building the Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 hub, introducing new products, launching sophisticated revenue management and pricing, tools and techniques, and finally implementing a very stringent cost-cutting policy.

At the end of the 1996-1997 financial year, the results came in : Air France was profitable once again.

New services

In 1995, Air France set up its head office at Roissy at the heart of its operations. By upgrading its products, the Company offered its customers a new concept in air travel, particularly with the new seat-bed in the Espace Première cabin and an entire range of new ground and in-fligt services.

New Aircraft

During the same year, Air France was the launch carrier for the Airbus A340, a wide-bodied long-haul aircraft with an operating range of 14,350 km. It enabled Air France to increase its non-stop services on long-haul routes ( 252 seats), and went into operation two years after the roll-out of the Boeing 747-400 super jumbo jet.

Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 Hub

1996 sawf the opening of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 hub. It enables rapid connections between short, medium and long-haul flights operated by Air France and some thirty companies, through a single transfer airport. It is Europe's most efficient hub with 14,000 medium and long-haul flight connections opportunities a week.

La Navette shuttle service

That same year, the Navette shuttle service was launched from Paris-Orly to Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, then Bordeaux in 1999. It strengthened Air France's position in Europe's biggest domestic market.

Air France merges with Air Inter

After completion of the UTA/Air France merger in 1992, Air Inter, already indirectly under Air France's control, merged with the Company on April 1, 1997

On June 3,1998, Air France was renamed Société Air France.

Partnerships

At the same time, Air France continued to expand. Over thirty agreements and alliances were signed or developed with US carriers such as Delta Air Lines, and also with European, Asian and African carriers.

Profitable growth

1998 marked the arrival of the Boeing 777-200ER with an operating range of 12,945 km, fully loaded with 270 passengers, and a range of 11,200 km with an additional 12 tonnes of cargo. During October, the new cargo terminal G1XL, Europe's largest cargo hub, was opened at Roissy.

The Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 Hub continued to expand with the opening of the very modern Hall F in 1999.

Air France launched its 1999-2002 Corporate Plan aimed at evolving from a national carrier to a world-class airline major.

Initial Public Offering

In February 1999, the Company successfully completed its IPO, with 2.4 million individual shareholders. Its share capital reached 3.15 billion Euros. Over 72% of the staff became shareholders in their company, gaining an 11.8% stake in capital.

1999 - 2006 A global alliance
Premises
On June 22,1999, Air France and Delta Air Lines signed a long-term agreement, laying the foundations for a global alliance.
Positive results
These results endorsed its strategy of profitable growth.
The birth of SkyTeam
It also benefits from two hubs that are among the world's leading airports in terms of development potential : Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 for Air France, and Seoul Inchon, Korean Air's hub.

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The history of Air France can also be found on www.airfrancelasaga.com The Forerunners As the oldest air transport company in France, the Compagnie Générale Transaérienne takes the Air France family tree back to 1909. It mainly operated airships and seaplanes.

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It is a detailed story about the concorde's first flight and how it happened

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45 years have now passed since the Concorde performed its first-ever commercial flight. The supersonic jet's two primary operators, British Airways and Air France, launched service simultaneously from London and Paris respectively on January 21st, 1976.

A Tale of Two Cities

British Airways' G-BOAA and Air France's F-BVFA both took off at 11:40 UTC on that winter's morning. The flag carrier of the United Kingdom's Concordes were commonly seen on transatlantic operations over the years. However, the first flight took a different approach. It flew on a route to Bahrain. Meanwhile, the national carrier of France flew to Rio de Janeiro with a stop on Dakar along the way.

Heritage Concorde highlights that the flight to Bahrain had some potential difficulties as the route included a subsonic leg over Europe, along with a curved turn over the eastern Mediterranean. Moreover, it needed to pass carefully through a narrow corridor over the Middle East, which was going through instability at the time. Nonetheless, the trip was completed within four hours compared to the 6.5 hours that a standard subsonic aircraft of the time would have taken.

The Air France flight was piloted by Pierre Chanoine. The plane landed in Dakar at 15:27 before taking off again at 16:45. The plane then reached its final destination of Rio at 20:06 Paris time.

Two nations with one goal

The simultaneous flights of British Airways and Air France are symbolic of the collaboration between the carriers and their respective countries with the Concorde project. The type performed its first overall flight just under seven years earlier, and those behind the program then worked intently to enter it into service. Undoubtedly, both the UK and France would have been ecstatic when the plane was introduced.

Queen Elizabeth II spoke about the event with great pride. She placed great emphasis on the partnership between her nation and France.

"On the occasion of today's inaugural flight by Concorde aircraft of Air France and British Airways, I send you and the French people my warmest congratulations," the queen of the United Kingdom said, as shared by Heritage Concorde.
"Today's flights mark the successful outcome of 14 years of close collaboration between our two nations. It is a source of pride that our countries have today inaugurated a new era in civil aviation."
Air France also expressed how even the name of the aircraft represents the collaboration. The airline noted that Concord and Concorde mean agreement in English and French. In 1967, British Secretary of State for Technology, Tony Benn, concluded that the name of the plane would have the E at the end. This letter stood for Excellence, England, Europe, and Entente Cordiale.

One its way

There were some notable VIPs onboard the aircraft of these two flights. The likes of The Duke of Kent Prince Edward, UK Secretary of State for Trade Peter Shore, and Sir George Edwards enjoyed the grand occasion.

The success of the commercial launch helped to give a promising foundation for the Concorde. Landing rights into the United States were rewarded by the US Secretary of Transportation, William T. Coleman the following month. After a few months of talks, services to Washington Dulles started on May 24th, 1976. Departure times were modified so that aircraft from both operators landed within one minute of each other at the US capital.

When it came to the routes of the initial launch flights, both airlines stopped scheduled services to these destinations by the time the 1980s got into full swing. British Airways' Bahrain operations stopped in November 1980. After that, Air France ended its South American operations in 1982.

A unique model

Concorde would stop flying 27 years after its commercial debut. Nonetheless, it went on to break records along the way while leaving the public in awe every time it zipped through the skies.

"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. Concorde's fastest transatlantic crossing was on 7 February 1996 when it completed the New York to London flight in 2 hours 52 minutes and 59 seconds," British Airways shares on its website.
"Concorde measured nearly 204ft in length and stretched between 6 and 10 inches in flight due to heating of the airframe. It was painted in a specially developed white paint to accommodate these changes and to dissipate the heat generated by supersonic flight. A team of about 250 British Airways' engineers worked tirelessly, together with the relevant authorities, to ensure safety on board and Concorde was subjected to 5,000 hours of testing before it was first certified for passenger flight, making it the most tested aircraft ever."
Looking back

Air France stopped commercial operations with Concorde in May 2003. Subsequently, British Airways withdrew its aircraft in October 2003. The final scheduled commercial trip was BA002 fromNew York JFK conducted by G-BOAG. Ultimately, all of British Airways' remaining seven units soon left the airline. They departed to be preserved in Barbados, Edinburgh, Manchester, Hilton, New York, and Seattle. One jet remained at Heathrow.

Altogether, it was an exciting time for aviation as Concorde made its commercial launch in 1976. There were high hopes for supersonic travel. However, this form of transport would not take off as initially expected. Nonetheless, this launch event marks a nostalgic period in airline history. It reminds us that there is still plenty of potential to be had when it comes to aviation activity.
What are your thoughts about Concorde's first flights back in January 1976? Did you ever fly on the type over the years before its retirement? Let us know what you think of the aircraft in the comment section

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45 Years Ago Concorde Completed Its First Commercial Flight

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45 years have now passed since the Concorde performed its first-ever commercial flight. The supersonic jet's two primary operators, British Airways and Air France, launched service simultaneously from London and Paris respectively on January 21st, 1976. British Airways' G-BOAA and Air France's F-BVFA both took off at 11:40 UTC on that winter's morning.

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An article about the Concordes first flight and celebrating it

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Today in Aviation: First Flight of Concorde

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Today in Aviation, the Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde, the British-French turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner icon, first flew in 1969.

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The history of Concorde through the co-makers of it

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A book about the full story of Concorde, beginning to end

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The future of what Concorde started

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As airlines place orders for supersonic jets, will ‘Concorde 2.0’ ever happen?

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First passenger flights of revolutionary aircraft are scheduled for 2029 on American Airlines and United

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BBC recollection of Concorde's first flight

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The first flight of the British-assembled 002 Concorde took place on April 9, 1969.

Crowds of reporters came to watch the flight from the airfield at Filton, South Gloucestershire.

After taking off the supersonic plane had to land at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire 50 miles away, as the factory runway at Filton was too short for test-flying Concorde.

Archive footage captures the flight - and the furore surrounding it.

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The first flight of the British-assembled 002 Concorde took place on April 9, 1969. Crowds of reporters came to watch the flight from the airfield at Filton, South Gloucestershire. After taking off the supersonic plane had to land at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire 50 miles away, as the factory runway at Filton was too short for test-flying Concorde.

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A celebration of Concorde's 50 year anniversary

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It is 50 years since the "special" supersonic jet passenger plane, Concorde, made its first test flight in France.

The plane - Concorde 001 - was first test flown in France ahead of trials in the UK a few weeks later.

The much-loved jet was built near Bristol and in Toulouse but was withdrawn from service following a crash and rising maintenance costs.

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It is 50 years since the "special" supersonic jet passenger plane, Concorde, made its first test flight in France. The plane - Concorde 001 - was first test flown in France ahead of trials in the UK a few weeks later.