Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde

Aérospatiale-BAC Concordeis a retiredturbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner orsupersonic transport(SST). It is one of only two SSTs to have entered commercial service; the other was theTupolev Tu-144. Concorde was jointly developed and produced byAérospatialeand theBritish Aircraft Corporation(BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. First flown in 1969, Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued commercial flights for 27 years.

Among otherdestinations, Concorde flew regulartransatlantic flightsfromLondon HeathrowandParis-Charles de Gaulle AirporttoNew York JFKandWashington Dulles; it profitably flew these routes in less than half the time of other airliners. With only 20 aircraft built, the development of Concorde was a substantial economic loss;Air FranceandBritish Airwaysalso received considerable government subsidies to purchase them. Concorde was retired in 2003 due to a general downturn in the aviation industry after the type'sonly crash in 2000, the9/11 terrorist attacksin 2001 and a decision by Airbus, the successor firm of Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance support.