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Concorde - end of an era?  

When Concorde flies over London or New York, everybody stops and looks up. Faster than sound and higher than any other plane, Concorde is the most elegant, expensive, and exciting way to fly. A luxury of the rich and famous, most of us can only look at Concorde and dream ... And now, after thirty-four years in the air, Concorde will make its last journey. On 24 October 2003 the last Concorde will fly from New York to London – across the Atlantic Ocean and into history for ever.  

Concorde started carrying passengers in 1976, but oil prices were sky-high and the tickets were very expensive. Famous people from film, music, sport and politics became the most frequent customers. Today, too, famous people such as Madonna and David Beckham regularly fly in supersonic style.

Concorde was great for business too: businessmen soon discovered they could leave London at 9.00 a.m. and arrive in New York at 7.20 a.m. – almost two hours earlier! (There is a five-hour time difference between London and New York. And a Concorde flight between the two cities takes only 3 hours and 20 minutes!) Tickets were expensive, but Concorde was more popular than ever.

Concorde was developed by French and British scientists during the 1950s and 1960s. This was the most exciting era of new technology in the twentieth century. In March 1969 Concorde made its first successful test flight. And only a few months later, Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon. When Concorde first travelled faster than sound, in October of the same year, it seemed science could make anything possible.

In the 1990s, computer technology developed very quickly. Many international companies started using quick, cheap video-meetings, instead of paying for expensive flights. So the airlines changed their business too: they made their planes bigger and their tickets cheaper. International travel was not a luxury now – it was affordable and easy for everyone.

On 11 September, 2001, everything changed. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center buildings in New York, and thousands of people were killed. Governments and businesses became nervous, and ordinary people stopped spending their money on travelling. Companies around the world suffered badly, and many airlines had to stop completely.

In April this year, British Airways (BA) and Air France announced the end of Concorde flights. One month later, the world sadly watched the last Air France Concorde arrive in Paris. You will soon see their Concorde planes in important museums around the world. But, after October, the future of BA’s Concordes is less certain. British businessman, Richard Branson, tried to buy BA’s planes for £5 million, but his offer was not accepted.

Almost exactly 100 years after the world’s first aeroplane flight, Concorde’s flying days are finished. But many people can’t stop dreaming of supersonic flight. Money for new flight technology is not easy to find. But who knows what the next 100 years of air travel will bring? Penguin Dossiers

fly over: terbang di atas

exciting way: cara yang menyenangkan

supersonic: melebihi kecepatan suara

develop: mengembangkan

technology: teknologi

twentieth century: abad ke-20

airline: perusahaan penerbangan

flight: terbang

affordable: harganya terjangkau

nervous: gugup

ordinary: biasa

announce: mengumumkan

around the world: di seluruh dunia