PARIS (AFP) - The last commercial flight to New York by an Air France supersonic Concorde took to the skies with a guard of honour of airport workers and maintenance staff, some brushing away tears, on hand to wave it farewell.
Flight AF002 left Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris with 58 passengers, including Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau, and eight, rather than the usual six, crew aboard.
The technical team responsible for looking after the aircraft had donned white shirts and ties for the occasion and scores of policemen, baggage-handlers and Air France staff were present to pay their respects to the plane, being retired after 27 years in service.
Flight AF002 was due to make the crossing in three and three quarter hours. On Saturday, the return flight, AF001, will be the final commercial journey of the Anglo-French aircraft in Air France colours.
Air France and British Airways (BA), the only two airlines ever to buy the aircraft, are taking Concorde out of service because of falling passenger numbers and soaring costs.
The Concordes flown by British Airways -- which has a fleet of seven of the total of 12 supersonic aircraft -- will continue operations for a few more months out of London before they, too, are withdrawn, with New York and seasonal Barbados flights to continue until the end of October.
Air France and British Airways jointly announced on April 10 their intention to stop operating the plane.
Concorde, the only civil supersonic jet in service, had never been a major earner for either of the airlines, but its ability to fly across the Atlantic at more than the speed of sound added to the mystique of using it.
The decision to retire the planes also marks the end of a technological adventure, a plane that would become the darling of stars and businessmen at a cost today of 8,726 euros (10,296 dollars) per round-trip.
Fascinated by the elegance of its lines -- a Delta wing and an inclinable pointed nose tip -- devotees view the Concorde as something of a time machine: thanks to time zones, it arrives in New York an hour or so before the hour of departure in London or Paris.
Four companies took part in the construction of the Concorde at the time: Sud-Aviation, British Aircraft Corporation, Bristol Siddley and Snecma. But no other aircraft manufacturer has a similar project today.
Able to transport 92 passengers at Mach 2 -- twice the speed of sound -- and with a cruising speed of 2,300 kilometres (1,430 miles) per hour, Concorde made its first flight above Toulouse on March 2 1969 before entering full service in 1976.
But for all its mystique and prestige it never fully recovered its reputation after the disaster at Gonesse, just outside Paris, in July 2000, when an Air France Concorde crashed in flames just after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport, killing 113 people.
Following a series of technical adjustments to the aircraft, the airline put the ageing Concordes back into service on November 7, 2001, but nine technical mishaps ensued -- though without serious consequences. But Air France already had plans to curtail its Concorde program in 2007-8.
Four of its five planes will end their days in museums in the United States, Germany, and France. The fifth one will go on exhibition at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.
Flight AF002 left Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris with 58 passengers, including Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau, and eight, rather than the usual six, crew aboard.
The technical team responsible for looking after the aircraft had donned white shirts and ties for the occasion and scores of policemen, baggage-handlers and Air France staff were present to pay their respects to the plane, being retired after 27 years in service.
Flight AF002 was due to make the crossing in three and three quarter hours. On Saturday, the return flight, AF001, will be the final commercial journey of the Anglo-French aircraft in Air France colours.
Air France and British Airways (BA), the only two airlines ever to buy the aircraft, are taking Concorde out of service because of falling passenger numbers and soaring costs.
The Concordes flown by British Airways -- which has a fleet of seven of the total of 12 supersonic aircraft -- will continue operations for a few more months out of London before they, too, are withdrawn, with New York and seasonal Barbados flights to continue until the end of October.
Air France and British Airways jointly announced on April 10 their intention to stop operating the plane.
Concorde, the only civil supersonic jet in service, had never been a major earner for either of the airlines, but its ability to fly across the Atlantic at more than the speed of sound added to the mystique of using it.
The decision to retire the planes also marks the end of a technological adventure, a plane that would become the darling of stars and businessmen at a cost today of 8,726 euros (10,296 dollars) per round-trip.
Fascinated by the elegance of its lines -- a Delta wing and an inclinable pointed nose tip -- devotees view the Concorde as something of a time machine: thanks to time zones, it arrives in New York an hour or so before the hour of departure in London or Paris.
Four companies took part in the construction of the Concorde at the time: Sud-Aviation, British Aircraft Corporation, Bristol Siddley and Snecma. But no other aircraft manufacturer has a similar project today.
Able to transport 92 passengers at Mach 2 -- twice the speed of sound -- and with a cruising speed of 2,300 kilometres (1,430 miles) per hour, Concorde made its first flight above Toulouse on March 2 1969 before entering full service in 1976.
But for all its mystique and prestige it never fully recovered its reputation after the disaster at Gonesse, just outside Paris, in July 2000, when an Air France Concorde crashed in flames just after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport, killing 113 people.
Following a series of technical adjustments to the aircraft, the airline put the ageing Concordes back into service on November 7, 2001, but nine technical mishaps ensued -- though without serious consequences. But Air France already had plans to curtail its Concorde program in 2007-8.
Four of its five planes will end their days in museums in the United States, Germany, and France. The fifth one will go on exhibition at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.
