Aircraft
A Tribute to Concorde: 1976-2003
It is symbolic of the malaise cloaking aviation as it celebrates the centennial of powered flight

It is symbolic of the malaise cloaking aviation as it celebrates the centennial of powered flight that, for the first time since Orville and Wilbur Wright made history in 1903, mankind had to settle for flying more slowly than before. Concorde, the airplane that opened supersonic flight to anyone with the means to buy a ticket, will retire this year after 27 years of service with British Airways and Air France. The British flag carrier has said it will operate its last Concorde flight on October 24, five months later than Air France, which terminated its scheduled supersonic transport (SST) operations on May 31.

It was not decrepitude that finished off the crown jewel of the airline fleet, but the alignment of other, less manageable forces.