Concorde makes last wingless journey

Daily Mail

Last updated at 13:27 14 April 2004


Its wings and tail were missing - but it was still unmistakably Concorde making its way down the River Thames yesterday.

The supersonic plane - which could ferry passengers to New York in less than three hours - slowly made its way out of London bound for Edinburgh, its final resting place.

Sitting atop a special, £8million barge, the distinctive Queen of the Skies drew large crowds.

Codenamed G-BOAA, it was used for Concorde's first commercial flight from London to Bahrain in January 1976. After more than 8,000 landings, it made its last touchdown on August 12, 2000.

Final farewell

For its final journey along the Thames to Tilbury and then via the North Sea to Scotland, Concorde's tail and wings have been removed. However the famous nosecone is still in place. It is being taken to its new home at the Museum of Flight at East Fortune Airfield near Edinburgh.

G-BOAA is one of seven Concordes decommissioned by British Airways. One is on display at Filton in Bristol, two are in the U.S., one is at Heathrow, another at Manchester Airport and the seventh at Grantley Adams airport in Barbados.

Concorde parts have also been put up for sale. A nosecone being auctioned on the Internet site, eBay, today is expected to fetch a huge sum. Last year, two sold for more than £300,000 each.

The Concorde Collectables company is planning to sell 150 parts on eBay.

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