BA plays villain in Concorde sequel | Aviation International News

BA plays villain in Concorde sequel

If Concorde were the child of quarrelsome adults, the tabloids might label this a “tug of love,” but by whatever name it goes, British Airways seems to end

November 15, 2006

If Concorde were the child of quarrelsome adults, the tabloids might label this a “tug of love,” but by whatever name it goes, British Airways seems to end up cast as the villain. When BA announced it would retire the supersonic transport in October 2003, Virgin Atlantic proprietor Sir Richard Branson seized the opportunity to embarrass his archrival by offering to buy and continue operating the aircraft. Predictably, he was turned down by Airbus (which had inherited the role of supporting the SST fleet) and by BA, and that too was a public spectacle that portrayed his archrival as a villain to hordes of patriotic British Concorde supporters quick to embrace the argument that since BA had paid only one pound to buy each of its seven airplanes 30 years ago, the hulls remain public property.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

Become a Member

Already a member? Sign In

The 25th Anniversary of 9/11: How it Changed Airbus and Boeing

The fall-out from the terror attacks was to have short- and long-term consequences

Boeing Sonic Cruiser

Will Embraer Go Big by Developing a Large Narrowbody Jet?

Industry experts privately debate whether the Brazilian airframer can take the risk

Embraer E195-E2 aircraft

Baggage Floor Removal Vexing for Lear Jet Restoration

The group looks to return Lear 23-003 to flight

the baggage floor in Lear 23-003

Joby eVTOL Begins Week of Flights across North Texas

Project Nexus makes first flights under the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program

Joby’s eVTOL air taxi prototype sits on the ramp at Perot Field

Bombardier Global 8000 Earns UK London City Approval

Approval eases access to central London

Bombardier Global 8000

Netherlands Opts for Its Inaugural AEW&C Aircraft

Bilateral capability with Sweden marks nation’s first AEW&C acquisition

GlobalEye

FAA Grants Special Airworthiness Certificate for eFlyer

Bye Aerospace’s prototype is ready for flight testing

Rod Zastrow, Bye Aerospace CEO

France Receives Its First Falcon Albatros Patrol Jets

Dassault based the maritime patrol aircraft on the Falcon 2000LXS

A Dassault Aviation Falcon 2000LXS Albatros maritime surveillance aircraft flies over a coastal area.