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Singapore Airways Concorde: The total story

Singapore Airways Concorde: The total story

2024-03-04 04:21:35

Singapore Airways as soon as operated a Concorde between the Lion Metropolis and London, however politics and economics meant it did not final.

Within the late Seventies and early Eighties, Singapore Airways operated the world’s hottest supersonic passenger airliner – Concorde – on flights between Singapore and London, as a part of a three way partnership with British Airways.

The service slashed flying instances between Asia and Europe from round 18 hours on subsonic plane with a number of stops to underneath 10 hours, for individuals who might afford a ticket some 15% costlier than a First Class fare.

British Airways Concorde G-BOAD carrying Singapore Airways livery at London Heathrow Airport in July 1980. (Picture: Steve Fitzgerald)

Catering primarily to time-pressed enterprise travellers, celebrities and politicians, the service was short-lived because it suffered from waning demand and rising gas prices, resulting in heavy losses.

Scratch a little bit beneath the floor although, and the story of Concorde’s time with Singapore Airways is an enchanting one, mired in politics of 1 type or one other from nearly begin to end.

Right here’s our look again at how the historical past of SIA’s Concorde operation unfolded.

Concorde in Singapore

The historical past of Concorde in Singapore dates proper again to 1972. On eighth June that yr, thousands flocked to Singapore Worldwide Airport at Paya Lebar to observe the primary Concorde land from Bangkok on its promotional gross sales tour.

Singapore was seen as a key stopover level for Concorde’s future ambitions to chop journey instances from Europe to Australia, so the producer was eager to woo the federal government and regulators right here to make sure clean permissions could be granted in future, even when SIA itself didn’t purchase the jets.

Concorde on its tour via Singapore in June 1972. (Picture: Nationwide Archives of Singapore)

After three days in Singapore the plane left for Hong Kong and Tokyo, later flying to Australia earlier than returning through Singapore as soon as once more on its approach again to Europe.

SIA needed its personal Concordes

In June 1975, six Singapore Airways cabin crew were handpicked to participate in trials by the plane producer, simulating regular passenger service from London to cities like Beirut, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Melbourne.

It was an awesome coup for the airline to display how SIA’s famend service might nonetheless be provided on a supersonic flight, and by September that yr it was reported that Singapore Airlines was negotiating to lease two Concordes.

The proposed association would begin in 1977, for operation between Australia and Europe through the Lion Metropolis. Flight instances between Singapore and London could be reduce from 18 hours on typical plane on the time to only 10 hours.

With a S$100 million price ticket per jet (S$257 million in as we speak’s cash), shopping for the plane was “out of the query” in response to SIA’s Managing Director Lim Chin Beng, however the provider was stated to be eager if a suitable lease deal could possibly be solid.

The pair of plane would have changed two Boeing 747s the airline had on choice for supply in 1977 and 1978.

Two proposed Boeing 747-200s might have been sidelined for a pair of leased Concordes in 1977 and 1978, as a part of SIA’s want to hitch the supersonic age. (Picture: Frank C. Duarte Jr.)

Nevertheless, that plan by no means materialised.

Over a yr later, in November 1976, British Airways (BA) was negotiating with the Singapore Authorities to start out a London – Bahrain – Singapore service utilizing Concorde, whereas the airline was nonetheless blocked from flying the jet to and from New York – its most desired route.

It was proposed that SIA would lease 20 out of 100 seats on every of those flights to deal with “the possible lack of First Class passengers” on SIA’s personal London companies.

India refused overflight

BA’s issues weren’t remoted to a ‘compelled pact’ with SIA on a future Singapore route. It didn’t take lengthy for politics to start out getting in the best way of plans to fly Concorde to and from Asia.

Within the late Seventies, India refused permission for Concorde to fly over its airspace, blocking a direct routing from Bahrain to Singapore, BA’s proposed extension to an current service.

On the desk was extra entry to Heathrow slots for Air India, plus ‘fifth freedom’ site visitors rights from the London airport, with the airline eager to faucet in to the profitable transatlantic market. Within the Seventies and 80s, it was frequent for governments to make use of air site visitors agreements as political chess items.

Sonic Increase It’s value mentioning at this level that the issue for Concorde was primarily associated to its ‘Sonic Increase’, brought on by shock waves when the jet was travelling via the air at Mach 1 or better. That was no drawback for the passengers; sitting on the jet on the head of the ‘Mach cone’, they have been shifting so quick the sonic growth didn’t have probability to catch as much as them.

For these on the bottom it was a unique matter, making a 100dB+ sound like an explosion.

That meant supersonic flight by Concorde was restricted to overwater or sparsely populated land plenty like deserts. Even that wasn’t good although, with Saudi Arabia withdrawing supersonic permission for Concorde after nomads reported the sonic growth was upsetting their camels, stopping them from breeding!

Finally the 2 sides agreed to a compromise, with Concorde flights from Bahrain to Singapore having to route across the Indian mainland, including 200 miles to the journey.

Three way partnership with British Airways

By late 1977 Singapore Airways was in negotiation with British Airways to collectively function a Concorde on the London – Singapore route underneath a price and revenue-sharing foundation. The supersonic journey would cut flying time to 10 hours, with solely a 40-minute refuelling cease in Bahrain.

Plans included an extension of the route from Singapore to Melbourne, Australia, although this by no means went forward.

British Airways was already working Concorde companies from London to each Bahrain and Washington in 1976/77. (Picture: Steve Fitzgerald)

Singapore Airways formally made an agreement for the three way partnership Concorde operation with British Airways in October 1977, with the inaugural service from Paya Lebar deliberate for tenth December that yr.

As a part of the deal, SIA sent 36 of its cabin crew to London in November 1977 for coaching on Concorde operations.

Tickets could possibly be bought at BA or SIA places of work and value round 15% greater than First Class fares on current subsonic flights between the 2 cities.

The one-way fare was S$4,298 (round S$10,700 as we speak) from Singapore to London and S$2,522 (round S$6,300 as we speak) from Singapore to Bahrain.

British Airways stated it wanted to fill 60 of the 100 seats on board to interrupt even, although the capability was capped at 86 passengers when departing from Singapore as a result of humid circumstances affecting the plane’s efficiency.

Even with the inaugural flights totally booked, Singapore Airways launched a world advertising campaign in December 1977, telling the world “SIA has gone supersonic”.

(Picture: Andrew Chuang)

The plane wore each liveries

A part of the settlement between Singapore Airways and British Airways was to function the Concorde, registered G-BOAD (additionally quickly G-N94AD), in a twin livery with Singapore Airways titles on the left and British Airways colors on the correct of the plane.

This grew to become the one Concorde to fly with the colors of two totally different airways, making SIA solely the third airline on the planet (after BA and Air France) to have its livery on the sort.

The ‘machmeter’ within the passenger cabin of G-BOAD. (Picture: Bob Nadel)

With passengers boarding through steps in Singapore in these days, into the ahead left major plane door, it meant solely the SIA livery was seen.

The inaugural flight was nearly scuppered

Previous to the beginning of the route, there was a disagreement between British Airways and a small group of its Concorde pilots who have been to be stationed in Singapore, over the phrases and circumstances of their detachment. This was resolved a couple of weeks earlier than the primary flight, however a a lot larger drawback was looming.

With a Concorde now adorned in Singapore Airways colors down one facet and British Airways livery throughout the opposite, and cabin crew from each carriers totally skilled to collectively function the brand new service, a spanner was immediately thrown within the works.

On the eleventh hour, on seventh December 1977, the Malaysian Authorities threatened to carry again overflight rights for the brand new service. Malaysia had introduced no formal causes to disclaim Concorde’s overflight of its airspace, certainly the jet had beforehand routed over the nation on demonstration flights and made a number of landings at Kuala Lumpur’s Subang Airport.

“We have been instructed verbally yesterday by the Malaysian Division of Civil Aviation that overflying rights have nonetheless not been granted.

“No causes have been given, both verbally or in writing.

“We don’t know whether or not this refers to supersonic or subsonic pace, but when they permit us to fly subsonic, we are going to accomplish that.

“It’s going to add a number of minutes to the flying time, however it’s not vital.”

Ted Duggan, British Airways PR Supervisor for the Orient, eighth December 1977 (through New Nation)

The day earlier than the inaugural flight was because of depart, the Malaysians formally refused all overflight permission for Concorde, subsonic or supersonic.

“The Malaysian authorities have determined to refuse permission for the Concorde flight over Malaysian airspace.”

Malaysian Communications Ministry (through The Straits Times)

No purpose was given, although later a minister stated they needed to “look into issues affecting the folks’s pursuits and environmental elements”.

A number of newspapers in London were having none of it, stating that the “extraordinarily puzzling” stance was “possible [because] Malaysia is piqued on the operation by Singapore [Airlines] of Concorde service”.

An aviation supply stated of Malaysia’s environmental reasoning “Garbage, absolute garbage. The issue is only political”.

“When Britain first approached Kuala Lumpur earlier this yr for permission to fly over Malaysia, the contemplated service would have been wholly British.

“However sources stated Malaysia’s objections crystallised when British Airways and Singapore [Airlines] agreed to function the flight collectively.”

Business Times, tenth December 1977

Whereas the Malaysians have been standing agency, the Singapore Authorities got here to the rescue, putting a last-minute take care of Indonesia for the plane to route barely additional south than initially deliberate, via Jakarta’s airspace as an alternative.

The settlement was said to have been a reciprocal gesture, following “Singapore’s help for Indonesia throughout a current United Nations debate on East Timor”.

The route was saved and the inaugural flight, which had began to look as if it must be postponed, took off from London as scheduled on ninth December 1977, to a conventional ceremonial lion dance.

Concorde G-BOAD London Heathrow
The SIA / BA Concorde departing from London Heathrow. (Picture: Jonathan Francis through flickr)

The flight touched down in Singapore at 5.35am the next morning, 25 minutes early, with Singapore Airways cabin crew having taken over from the BA crew in Bahrain.

The inaugural SIA crew on the primary arrival in Singapore. (Picture: Nationwide Archives of Singapore)

Solely 90 passengers could possibly be accommodated as an alternative of the deliberate 100, as a result of further gas required when taking the Indonesia routing, whereas solely 70 passengers might journey from Singapore to Bahrain as an alternative of the deliberate 86, for a similar purpose.

Particulars of the primary Singapore – Bahrain – London service on Concorde (SQ301/BA301) on tenth December 1977.
Lucy Chan was one of many flight attendants on the inaugural SIA Concorde flight. (Picture: Nationwide Archives of Singapore)

Malaysia stands agency

On twelfth December 1977, the day of the second Concorde departure from Singapore to London, authorities revealed a brand new hiccup.

Indonesia’s overflight permission for the plane was only valid for one week, masking the primary three flights.

That’s as a result of the unique settlement had been hammered out at a gathering between Singapore officers, British Airways and the Indonesian Directorate Basic of Air Communications, throughout an aviation convention going down within the Lion Metropolis a couple of days earlier. It was due to this fact considered a brief operational measure, legitimate just for every week.

Indonesian Authorities approval was not required, however could be wanted for a longstanding settlement past the preliminary flights.

British Airways Captain Tony Meadows, who flew Concorde on its inaugural flight into Singapore from Bahrain on tenth December 1977, was dispatched to Jakarta later that day to help British officers there “on any problem” associated to the flights.

British Airways Captain Tony Meadows flew the inaugural Bahrain – Singapore Concorde flight, then headed to Jakarta to help with overflight negotiations. (Picture: Paul Fievez / Shutterstock)

In the meantime Gordon Davidson, British Airways Concorde Director, remained within the area slightly than returning again to London as deliberate, and as an alternative headed to the British Excessive Fee in Kuala Lumpur, hopeful a deal could possibly be struck with Malaysia to finish the quagmire.

Indonesia wouldn’t commit

Not wishing to upset its pleasant relations with Malaysia, the Indonesian Authorities was reluctant to approve additional overflight permissions past the primary three companies, probably leaving Britain and Singapore again at sq. one.

Hanging a take care of Malaysia was seemingly the one choice, although British Airways didn’t appear overly assured.

“If the issue is genuinely environmental, then we must always actually have the ability to persuade them…

“If Malaysia’s resolution relies on causes {of professional} rivalry, nevertheless, then there’s nothing we are able to do about it.”

British Airways official, thirteenth December 1977 (through Business Times)

With the third and ultimate service blessed with Indonesian overflight approval already on its solution to Singapore, last-minute talks with Kuala Lumpur have been nonetheless ongoing. Indonesia stated it could solely approve overflight if the Malaysians also did so.

That wasn’t a lot use to British Airways or Singapore Airways – they wanted settlement from one or the opposite. The Indonesian stance meant it was all or nothing.

The fourth Concorde flight BA300 departed from London sure for Bahrain and Singapore on Friday sixteenth December 1977 as deliberate, with nobody figuring out whether or not it could be allowed to proceed its journey from the Center East.

Even with Britain suggesting a compromise ‘interim settlement’ for 3 months whereas discussions have been ongoing, Malaysia then reaffirmed their refusal of overflight permission, that means the Concorde was compelled to return to London after arriving in Bahrain that night time.

16 passengers who boarded in London destined for Singapore, who have been reportedly “very sad”, have been reaccommodated in First Class on subsonic flights.

Later requested why he had not intervened within the negotiations, as an alternative leaving it to the British, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew stated:

“If I believed that there was something I might say or write or do that might assist, I’d have executed so.

“There are occasions the place there’s nothing one can do higher, than to do nothing.”

Lee Kuan Yew, December 1977 (through New Nation)

Basically LKY was proper in regards to the problem – it actually wasn’t for Singapore or SIA to become involved in what was an settlement purely between the British and the Malaysians. Because the Enterprise Instances put it:

“SIA is merely the British firm’s working accomplice. It doesn’t personal the Concorde nor has it leased the aeroplane. The whole problem of overflying is due to this fact solely between Britain and Malaysia.”

Business Times, January 1978

1978: Free promoting!

With all of the political obstacles for overflight permissions associated to this route, it could in all probability have been simple for all events concerned to easily abandon the concept after these three return flights have been accomplished.

British Airways, Singapore Airways and their respective governments have been undeterred, nevertheless, and remained totally dedicated to the idea. “The route might be again”, stated one SIA official.

The plane’s twin color scheme, with SIA livery on the left and BA livery on the correct, was due to this fact retained in anticipation of the Singapore route’s return.

That gave SIA the distinctive alternative for some profitable free promoting throughout 1978, with G-BOAD becoming again in to common BA Concorde operation world wide.

G-BOAD on a ‘free promoting’ go to to New York JFK. (Picture: Aris Pappas)

The plane repeatedly visited Bahrain, New York, Washington D.C. and Dallas on scheduled companies.

There have been even constitution flights, together with the usage of G-BOAD in 1978 on a Barcelona – New York flight for the highest clients of a giant Spanish financial institution!

Malaysia settlement

After a collection of talks between Britain and Malaysia all through 1978, most of which got here to nothing, a breakthrough was lastly reached on fifteenth December that yr.

“On 15 December 1978, one yr after the tip of the primary companies the Malaysian Authorities withdrew its objections to Concorde flights for a trial interval.”

Singapore Airways assertion

Malaysian officers had lastly agreed to carry the overflight ban for SIA-BA Concorde companies for an preliminary interval of six months, in what SIA’s Managing Director Mr. Okay. Kulasegaran described as “terrific information, fairly the most effective I’ve heard for a very long time”.

The choice was reached after a year-long examine by Malaysia revealed “no conclusive proof” that Concorde flights over its airspace would harm the atmosphere. Indonesia additionally granted joint permission for the service to be reinstated utilizing its airspace on the identical foundation.

1979: Companies restart

With an settlement sealed, SQ300/301 (additionally operated as BA300/301) was again on, with three-times weekly flights restarted from London on Wednesday twenty fourth January 1979 and the primary Singapore – London flight working the next day.

A British Airways advert selling Concorde companies in 1980. The 9.5-hour flight time to Singapore was round half the subsonic flight period of the time

BA and SIA launched a joint assertion 12 days earlier than the service restarted saying the flights would function over Malaysia at subsonic pace for solely 5 miles and for lower than two minutes in every path – maybe a dig on the minor nature of what the airways noticed as an pointless year-long blockade.

A British Airways promotion of Concorde’s ‘not-so-Far East’ service. (Picture: The Airchive)

The schedule

The twin-liveried Concorde G-BOAD was a busy plane, flying 3 times every week between London and Singapore in every path.

Solely on Tuesdays did the jet get a good break, with 48 hours off in London for upkeep downtime from Monday afternoon via to Wednesday afternoon.

(Picture: Kjell Nilsson)

The precise service timings diverse barely in the course of the flight’s operation, however right here is an instance schedule from 1979.

SIA Concorde flight schedules in 1979

  Days
M T W T F S S
SQ301
SIN
11:30
BAH
10:55
Period: 03:55
BA301
       
BAH
11:45
LHR
14:05
Period: 04:20
BA300
       
LHR
15:30
BAH
21:45
Period: 04:15
SQ300
       
BAH
22:35
SIN
07:10*
Period: 04:05

* Subsequent day

Precise flying time from Singapore to London was 8 hours quarter-hour, plus a 50-minute cease in Bahrain for a complete time of 9 hours 5 minutes.

Flight time between London and Singapore, was 8 hours 20 minutes (9 hours 10 minutes as soon as the cease in Bahrain was accounted for).

The Singapore Airways Concorde at Paya Lebar Airport. (Picture: Doug Inexperienced / World Aviation Useful resource)

The plane used a British Airways flight quantity between London and Bahrain (BA300/301) and a Singapore Airways flight quantity between Bahrain and Singapore (SQ300/301). Flight numbers have been later modified to BA16/17 and SQ16/17.

One other instance concorde schedule within the SIA timetable

Who flew on Concorde?

A survey conduced in 1980 revealed that 17% of Concorde’s passengers on the SIN-BAH-LHR route have been Singapore residents, 20% have been from Australia or New Zealand and the biggest group, 38%, have been British residents.

Not surprisingly, 77% have been travelling for enterprise functions, with solely 18% utilizing the service to take a vacation.

42% of passengers on the route have been connecting to a different metropolis after arriving in both London or Singapore.

On twenty fourth April 1980, Princess Margaret, youthful sister of Britain’s then-Queen Elizabeth II, arrived in Singapore on the joint BA-SIA Concorde service for an official go to. The journey additionally included the Philippines and Malaysia, with the princess then returning to London on Concorde from Singapore on eighth Might 1980.

Which crew?

The SIA Concorde was flown solely by British Airways pilots and flight engineers. London-based pilots flew the London – Bahrain – London flights, whereas the airline had a detachment of Singapore-based pilots who flew many of the Singapore – Bahrain – Singapore legs.

In each instances the pilots spent one or two-night relaxation intervals in Bahrain whereas away from base.

Enjoyable reality: When the three way partnership was initially agreed, the plan included some Singapore Airways pilots going to London for Concorde training, to function half of the flights, nevertheless this didn’t materialise.

For the cabin crew it was a unique matter, with the flights shared between Singapore Airways and British Airways. The 2 units of flight attendants (SQ and BA) wouldn’t combine on any single flight, as an alternative alternating on consecutive sectors.

You possibly can due to this fact have an all-Singapore Airways crew from Singapore to Bahrain, adopted by an all-British Airways crew from Bahrain to Singapore, or vice-versa.

Three flight crew (two pilots and a flight engineer) and 4 cabin crew operated every Concorde flight.

Onboard expertise

Concorde was a small aircraft with solely 100 seats in a 2-2 configuration. It additionally had a low ceiling and tiny passenger home windows by as we speak’s requirements, in regards to the dimension of an grownup hand.

With out the house of enormous wide-body jets just like the Boeing 747, there was actually no room for big seats or flat beds!

As a substitute the plane’s brief flight time on its designed routes like London to New York meant a seat extra akin to Premium Financial system Class as we speak, with the deal with pace and the distraction of superb eating to go the little time passengers spent on board.

The Concorde cabin put in on British Airways plane within the Seventies and Eighties. (Picture: Jon Proctor)

Certainly Concorde passengers have been at all times generously fed and watered on any journey. Menus included classic Champagnes like Dom Ruinart 1973 and Mumm Cordon Rouge 1975, cocktails, superb wines, caviar and lobster canapés, plus a number of opulent major dishes.

Even simply earlier than Concorde’s retirement within the early 2000s, BA caught to its classic Champagne idea on board

Right here’s an instance lunch service on a joint SIA-BA operated Bahrain – London flight.

See Also

Bahrain – London

Aperitifs – Champagne

Canapés

Lunch

Chilled Iranian Caviar

Grilled Fillet steak with Cafe de Paris butter

Breast of duckling Montmorency

Buttered asparagus spears
Cauliflower milanaise
Croquette potatoes

Palm coronary heart salad . Roquefort dressing

Assorted cheeses

Contemporary strawberries. Double cream

Espresso

After dinner, passengers have been even provided Havana cigars.

Concorde’s foods and drinks service was harking back to a ‘golden age’ in air journey, solely present in some First Class cabins as we speak. (Picture: Jim Sugar)

All passengers who flew on Concorde acquired a private flight certificates, and the joint BA-SIA companies have been no exception.

The certificates would sometimes be handwritten and embody the signatures of the Captain and different crew members.

With brief flight instances, Concorde was by no means fitted with a video in-flight leisure system. As a substitute solely radio programming was accessible.

(Picture: The Airchive)

Additional SIA companies have been deliberate

With the reinstatement of SIA’s London route on Concorde in January 1979, the airline was talking up future routes for the sort, as soon as that they had knowledge on how effectively it operated to and from London.

The Monetary Instances reported that “from Singapore, the chances for route growth are appreciable, together with flights to such factors as Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul [and] Japanese locations”.

Linking Singapore to Hong Kong with Concorde would have taken solely 90 minutes, whereas Singapore to Tokyo on the supersonic jet would have reduce the flight time from 7 hours to only 3 hours.

Singapore financial institution notes

Having Concorde within the Singapore Airways livery was an enormous advertising and marketing level for a younger, impartial Singapore, and in 1979 the ‘Chook collection’ of financial institution notes included the plane on the again of the $20 model.

The reverse facet of Singapore $20 notes featured G-BOAD in SIA livery flying over an artist’s impression of the longer term Changi Airport. It was really the left facet of the plane that featured the SIA livery, nevertheless!

Concorde was retained on the note for a couple of years even after the ultimate joint BA-SIA service departed in October 1980.

The Concorde additionally featured on a stamp commemorating Paya Lebar Airport after industrial flights had transferred throughout to Changi.

First yr overview

By January 1980, a yr after common Concorde companies between London and Singapore had restarted, British Airways was expecting a loss of between S$14 million and S$18.5 million on the route for the January 1979 to March 1980 interval, with forecasts of an analogous deficit within the subsequent yr.

On the time, BA was coming underneath growing strain from the brand new British authorities to show a revenue, with the state lowering its stake within the provider.

BA executives have been additionally stated to be sad with the fee sharing components that they had with Singapore Airways for the companies. Regardless of SIA and BA sharing working prices for the flights, together with for gas and crew, a “slide-over charge” had been agreed from the outset to account for SIA’s forecast lack of First Class site visitors by itself flights.

This was stated to be costing BA S$4.9 million a yr, which the British provider felt was unjustified given SIA’s recorded enhance in First Class passenger numbers to and from London.

BA was additionally said to be unhappy with SIA’s lacklustre promotional efforts for the Concorde service, claiming it supplied twice as many passengers for the Concorde flights as SIA, regardless of a 50-50 capability share.

Regardless of the problems, SIA and BA reached an agreement to proceed the companies, although the “slide-over charge” from BA to subsidise SIA for its lack of First Class subsonic site visitors was not diminished.

Incidents

Regardless of the SIA Concorde service solely working for a few years, there have been a couple of ‘minor incidents’ alongside the best way!

  • On 1st February 1979 the common London – Singapore Concorde flight was forced to divert to Kuala Lumpur, when a Singapore Airways coaching plane burst a tyre and blocked the runway at Paya Lebar. It was solely the sixth Concorde service since flights had been reinstated the earlier month.
  • On thirty first Might 1980, a Concorde flight departing from Paya Lebar on its solution to Bahrain and London blew the roof off a household residence. Singapore Airways refused to pay for the harm – claiming British Airways was accountable. BA didn’t admit legal responsibility, however paid the household S$500 (round S$1,100 in as we speak’s cash) “to assist them out”.
  • On twenty first July 1980, a British businessman was stabbed in the head by one other passenger on a joint BA-SIA Concorde flight from London to Singapore. The SIA cabin crew and different passengers restrained the lady, who had been behaving eccentrically and didn’t know the person. “I nonetheless don’t know why she attacked me, I by no means noticed her earlier than in my life”, the person stated.
  • On twenty second July 1980, the identical Concorde flight with the stabbed man(!) hit a flock of birds on its strategy to Paya Lebar Airport, which have been ingested by two of the 4 engines. Although the passengers on board have been unaware, one of many engines was extensively broken. A substitute needed to be flown out from London, delaying the return service for 30 hours.

The top of Concorde Singapore flights

Regardless of an earlier settlement to proceed the Concorde service, by August 1980 it grew to become clear that not all was effectively.

There have been experiences of only 50% load factors on flights from Singapore, down from 57% the earlier yr, amid indicators the novelty of the service was carrying off.

There have been additionally complaints from passengers in regards to the discomfort of the cabin in comparison with First Class seats on wide-body jets, with Concorde’s small seats and a a lot louder atmosphere being removed from ultimate on a nine-hour journey.

Singapore Airways and British Airways held additional talks, amid rumours of the service now working at a S$20 million annual loss (equal to round S$42 million as we speak), with rising gas costs including to the affect.

On sixteenth September 1980 is was introduced that Concorde companies to and from Singapore would be suspended, efficient from 1st November 1980.

The Gazette, sixteenth September 1980
Excessive gas prices and fewer passengers left BA and Singapore Airways with little selection however to desert joint Concorde companies in 1980

The ultimate BA/SIA collectively operated Concorde service departed from Singapore on thirtieth October 1980. British Airways later flew all Concorde spare elements and tools again to London.

Although no common Concorde flights then served the Lion Metropolis, a BA constitution flight from London to Singapore through Bahrain and Colombo did function in March 1985.

French President Francois Mitterrand additionally handed via in September 1986, on his approach again to Paris from a state go to in Indonesia, in an Air France Concorde.

These marked the kinds’s solely two visits to Changi Airport, which changed Paya Lebar as Singapore’s major passenger hub in 1981.

What occurred to G-BOAD?

After coming back from Singapore for the final time on thirtieth October 1980, G-BOAD had its Singapore Airways titles eliminated and was returned to a full British Airways livery.

The plane went on to finish its service with BA, largely to and from New York which grew to become the airline’s ‘money cow’ route for the sort.

Listed here are some key info about G-BOAD:

  • twenty fifth August 1976: First check flight
  • December 1976: Delivered to British Airways
  • seventh February 1996: Quickest transatlantic crossing by any Concorde LHR-JFK at 2 hours, 52 minutes, 59 seconds
  • twenty second October 2003: Ultimate passenger service
  • tenth November 2003: Ultimate flight from London to New York
  • The one Concorde to ever put on the colors of two totally different airways (SIA and BA)
  • The very best flight time of any Concorde flown (23,397 hours)
  • 8,406 flights, 7,010 of which have been supersonic
G-BOAD, trying good as new, on the point of depart on its final flight from London to New York on tenth November 2003. (Picture: David Apps)

Enjoyable reality: The plane was quickly registered G-N94AD whereas working along with US-based Braniff Airways on flights between Washington and Dallas, as an extension of the London – Washington service. It by no means acquired a Braniff livery, nevertheless.

G-BOAD as we speak

Subsequent time you’re in New York, you’ll want to take a go to to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan.

Even when the opposite displays aren’t of curiosity, you may stand up shut and private with G-BOAD, the very Concorde utilized by Singapore Airways between 1977 and 1980.

G-BOAD on the Intrepid Museum in New York. (Picture: MainlyMiles)

Sadly it’s nonetheless in British Airways livery on each side (SIA would in all probability have needed to pay this time for the promoting!).

We have been fortunate sufficient to go to throughout our round-the-world journey in 2018 and it’s effectively value a glance.

The cabin of G-BOAD on the Intrepid Museum in New York, with BA’s newest Concorde seats by factorydesign. (Picture: MainlyMiles)

The putting options are the plane’s small exterior dimension (10% shorter than an A350-900) and really slim cabin (at 2.62m broad, about the identical as an ATR turboprop and fewer than half that of a Boeing 777).

The cockpit of G-BOAD on the Intrepid Museum in New York. (Picture: MainlyMiles)

For the AvGeeks, the flight deck can be fairly cool – a far cry from the two-crew, extremely digitised cockpits of as we speak.

G-BOAD now stares out at New York’s Manhattan skyline. (Images: MainlyMiles)

The Concorde Room

Although it’s now not attainable to fly on Concorde, the title remains to be utilized by British Airways for its most unique First Class lounges in London and New York. In instances passed by, these lounges have been reserved solely for Concorde passengers, with boarding straight from the lounge itself.

We handed via the London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 facility in 2018 earlier than flying First Class on BA to Washington, and wrote a full review of the expertise.

The enterprise centre within the lounge even options among the previous seats from BA’s Concordes.

Former Concorde passenger seats within the Enterprise Centre of the Concorde Room. (Picture: knightofmalta)

For some time the First Class part of the British Airways Singapore Lounge was known as ‘The Concorde Bar’, nevertheless it has since been renamed ‘The Bar Singapore’.

As if a three way partnership between Singapore Airways and British Airways doesn’t sound fraught sufficient, the introduction of Concorde service in a co-operation between the 2 carriers grew to become rapidly mired in political disputes.

These arose from both chess video games over air site visitors rights, or nationalistic jealousies, although each have been commonplace within the late Seventies.

By the point the service really got here to life in 1979 and 1980, jet gas prices had soared and longer routings owing to continued overflight points with India have been persevering with to make the service much less and fewer prone to flip a long-term revenue.

Concorde G-BOAD London Heathrow
(Picture: Jonathan Francis through flickr)

Sadly the final common flight Concorde left Singapore in October 1980, closing a brief however fascinating chapter in Singapore Airways historical past.

Concorde later went on to turn into worthwhile on the North Atlantic between London and New York, with many passengers prepared to endure the plane’s drawbacks for the brief flight time on this profitable metropolis pair.

Singapore Airways, in the meantime, can declare to be one in all solely three airways on the planet to have its livery adorn this uncommon plane.

(Cowl Picture: Jonathan Francis)

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