Anniversary of the last Concorde flight from New York to London
23 October 2024
To mark the anniversary of the last flight from New York to London, Mike Bannister has written a dedication;
As the anniversary of the last ever Concorde flight from New York to London approaches each year, I am often asked how I felt on that day. It's interesting because, in hindsight, it was more joyous than sad.
In the months before, since April 10th, 2003, when we had announced the retirement of Concorde, I, and all of my colleagues at British Airways have been endeavouring to make the last few months of Concorde operations a celebration rather than a wake.
The aeroplane had been in service for 27 successful years. Had been the brainchild and skill set of 50,000+ designers, engineers and technicians. Had carried over two and a half million passengers for British Airways. Had been successfully operated with pride by dedicated British Airways people. Had its development paid for by the British public, who were its greatest fans, and had turned eyes and heads across the World.
We were determined that the last flights would recognise all that achievement, whilst at the same time mindful of the sadness of that terrible accident in France.
I hope that people will agree we were successful in those objectives. Not only on the last day, when 3 Concordes arrived one after the other over London before landing in stream at Heathrow. But also, in the preceding months when we had taken Concorde to many of her former destinations and shown her off to her greatest admirers.
Of course, the retirement of Concorde was a great sadness. But I'm a positive person and so I look back more on the 27 years of great successes than on the closing of that final chapter Concorde’s ‘In Service’ story.
Mike Bannister
Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, UK
October 2024