Concorde enters hangar of history

The world's only supersonic passenger aircraft has bowed out

The world's only supersonic passenger aircraft has bowed out. Three Concordes landed at Heathrow airport in rapid succession just after 4pm, watched by cheering crowds.

The final Concorde to land was the celebrity-packed New York flight, which touched down on the north runway at 4.05pm.

A Concorde from Edinburgh with competition winners on board landed at 4.01pm. And, another jet carrying invited guests who enjoyed a trip from Heathrow over the Atlantic and back touched down at 4.03pm.

Planespotters gathered along the airport's perimeter fences desperate for a last look at the planes, while other spectators filled a 1,000-seater grandstand.

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The Concorde from New York entered British airspace for the last time at 3.15pm - dropping below the speed of sound off the west coast of Ireland. Among those on board the flight which left Kennedy Airport at 12.30pm were actress Joan Collins, broadcaster Sir David Frost and Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

Speaking ahead of the plane's departure, chief Concorde pilot Captain Bannister, 54, said: "I am proud and privileged to be flying the aircraft today. When I power the engines for the last time at Heathrow I shall be thinking of all the people in BA who've kept this plane flying successfully for 27 years."

British Airways chairman, Lord Marshall said he was "extremely proud of what Concorde has achieved over this past 27 or 28 years". But he admitted that it marked the end of supersonic commercial flight "for some considerable time".

The final flights bring to an end a supersonic story that began in 1956 when Britain and France began working separately on an aircraft that would fly at twice the speed of sound. The two countries decided in 1962 to work jointly on the project and the first flying test of Concorde was completed successfully in 1969.

But it was not until January 21, 1976 that passenger services began, with BA flying from Heathrow to Bahrain and Air France taking Concorde form Paris to Rio de Janeiro. The last three Concordes to land will be join two other BA Concordes at a hangar at Heathrow for a staff party.