Pol Ariso, pilot: “This plane was capable of traveling at over 1,240 mph and getting from Paris to New York in 3.5 hours”

Content creator and commercial pilot Pol Ariso has once again tapped into aviation fans’ nostalgia with a social media video about the Concorde, one of the most iconic aircraft ever built. Standing in front of one of the few surviving examples, Ariso highlights the extraordinary capabilities of the supersonic jet that transformed commercial air travel.

“I have behind me one of the 20 Concordes that were built,” Ariso explains. Of those, he says, 14 entered commercial service with British Airways and Air France, while the remaining six were prototypes and test aircraft.

Jointly developed by the United Kingdom and France, the Concorde quickly became the defining symbol of commercial supersonic flight. Its greatest achievement was speed. As Ariso points out, it could exceed 1,240 mph (2,000 km/h) and cruise at more than Mach 2 – over twice the speed of sound. That allowed it to complete transatlantic routes in record time.

“It could fly from Paris to New York in just three and a half hours,” the pilot says. By comparison, modern commercial airliners typically take more than twice as long to complete the same journey.

The accident that brought the Concorde era to an end

The Concorde made its maiden flight in 1969 and entered commercial service in 1976. For decades it became the aircraft of choice for celebrities, business leaders and the international jet set, with ticket prices reflecting its exclusive onboard experience.

Its legacy, however, was forever shaped by the 2000 Air France crash near Paris, when a Concorde crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 113 people. It remains the only fatal accident involving the aircraft during its entire operational history.

For Ariso, that tragedy played a decisive role in the program’s demise. “I think it was judged too quickly,” he says in the video.

The Concorde was ultimately retired in 2003, bringing one of the most revolutionary chapters in modern aviation to a close. Even so, the aircraft continues to captivate enthusiasts decades later. Its unmistakable design, blistering speed and groundbreaking engineering have cemented its place as one of the greatest icons in aviation history, with many experts still viewing it as an aircraft that was far ahead of its time.

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