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Paris/ London (pte032/10.04.2003/12:40) - Supersonic passenger jet Concorde will be lifting off for the last time in October, Air France http://www.airfrance.com and British Airways http://www.ba.com announced today.
The Concorde will be taken out of service completely by the end of the summer flight schedule (31 October). Due to the poor economic performance of the transatlantic route to New York and the growing divide between costs and turnover, the airlines say its operation is no longer profitable.
Early this week there had been speculations that Air France would retire part of its fleet by 2007. Speculations on a premature end of prestigious plane's service first arose after a Concorde plane crashed in July 2000, killing 113 people. Business on the Paris to New York route has been slower since the accident happened.
The first Concorde lifted off on 2 March 1969 in Toulouse, and regular passenger travel began in January 1976. Under current licensing agreements Concorde could theoretically fly until 2009. Air France currently runs five planes; British Airways has seven.
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