Concorde last take off from New York
Notes
Concorde last take off from New York
Press Association
Friday October 24, 2003
Sadness was mixed with a spirit of celebration today as a British Airways
Concorde took off from New York to fly passengers across the Atlantic
for the last time.
With actor Joan Collins and Sir David Frost among the 100 guest passengers,
the supersonic plane was due to touch down at Heathrow airport between
3 and 4pm today.
Just before the final landing, two other Concordes were due to wing their
way into Heathrow - one from Edinburgh, with competition winners on board,
and another with invited guests who were taking a trip from Heathrow out
into the Atlantic and back.
The final transatlantic flight left New York just after 1230 BST (7.30am
local time) with Concorde's chief pilot, Captain Mike Bannister, 54, at
the controls.
BA chairman Lord Marshall was to be on board the flight, which was to
inlcude a special champagne breakfast menu including Scottish smoked salmon
with caviar and lobster fishcakes with Bloody Mary relish and wilted spinach.