'Au revoir' Concorde
2003-05-10 18:27
Paris - Dozens of people are flocking to the edge of Paris' Charles de Gaulle international airport to see Concorde soar skywards one last time before France withdraws the legendary supersonic jet from service next month.
Early each morning a gaggle of aviation enthusiasts gathers near a hangar at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport northeast of Paris to catch a glimpse of the famed transatlantic aircraft.
"I think it is truly special plane, beautifully designed, it is the most beautiful in the world," said Jean-Pierre Ghillebart, a keen photographer, one of around 50 people who turned up to admire the jet.
"This is the second time I have come here since I got the the news that Concorde was being retired," he said, setting up his camera for a last shot of the great white plane.
Concorde takes off each day from Roissy for a three-and-a-half hour flight to New York, before returning later in the day.
Jean-Pierre accepted the decision to retire Concorde: "You have to know when to stop. If it is no longer profitable, that's just too bad."
Others disagreed, such as Valerie and Didier Prud'homme, who brought their two young sons to capture the jet on film.
"I liken it to a swan," says Valerie. "It breaks my heart to think it won't fly any more."
Gregory Anique, a former employee at Roissy airport, was also bitter: "It is a shame they are retiring it, it gave France a good image, it had been matchless for 30 years."
British Airways and the state-controlled Air France announced last month that Concorde would stop flying by the end of October because of a slump in business traffic. Air France will start phasing out its fleet next month.
At around 10:30 am a hush fell over the plane-spotters as they strained to hear Concorde's engines - the loudest in the world - fire up for take-off.
The moment the supersonic jet became airborne, the cameras all crackled at once, to cries of: "Here it is!", "It's so beautiful", "Fantastic".
Twenty seconds later, Concorde was no more than a speck in sky, before it vanished altogether.
British tycoon Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic, has vowed to keep the Concorde supersonic jet in the air, but the British government has said it would not help him to buy and fly the planes.
- AFX