The supersonic dream will take to the skies again from 2026: here’s all we know about the return of Concorde

The world’s first supersonic commercial passenger airliner Concorde could be returning to the skies after being mothballed for the past 21 years.

Concorde, a joint project devised, developed and manufactured by the British and French aviation industries, made it’s maiden voyage in 1969. Easily identified by its iconic, ogival delta-shaped wings and streamlined, drooping nose cone, the aircraft was an aerodynamic work of art.

It had a takeoff speed of 250 mph (402 km/h) and an average cruising speed of 1,350 mph (2,173 km/h) - way faster than any of today’s modern commercial aircraft.

It had the capability to fly at twice the speed of sound - carrying a full capacity of 92 to 128 passengers from London to New York in under three hours - the same journey, a direct flight from Heathrow to JFK today takes around seven and a half hours. Only 20 aircraft were ever made, operated by British Airways and Air France, and not all of them were for commercial use. So why did Concorde disappear?

Concorde grounded after horrific crash

Concorde was taken out of service in October 2023 as a result of the findings of the inquest into the Air France Flight 4590 disaster of July 2000.

Flight 4590 took off from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport shortly before 5 p.m. on 25 July 2000. Just as it reached it’s takeoff speed (V2), the plane ran over a piece of metal debris - a titanium strip which had fallen off a Continental Airlines DC 10 which had used the same runway moments earlier.

A catastrophic event which punctured one of the tyres on Flight 4590‘s left-sided landing gear, sending fragments hurtling at high speed towards the planes fuel tanks, housed under the wings. It caused engine failure and a fire, as leaking fuel was ignited. Flight 4590 crashed 121 seconds after takeoff, killing all onboard (100 passengers and nine crew) as well as four on the ground.

The crash was Concorde’s only major incident involving fatalities in almost a quarter of a century of commercial service. Most of the remaining aircraft, including the prototypes, were preserved and are on display across Europe and North America.

Plans for a new supersonic commercial aircraft

Apart from the Air France crash, Concorde’s safety record was exemplary. During the past 50 years, there have been several petitions to see a return to overland supersonic flight, which was banned by many countries - including the United States, in 1973, due to sonic boom and environmental concerns.

However, after the latest developments, the return of commercial supersonic flight could soon become a reality. US president Donald Trump signed executive order 14304, on June 6, 2025, overturning “outdated and overly restrictive regulations” to clear regulatory airspace for supersonic travel over land.

"Advances in aerospace engineering, materials science, and noise reduction now make supersonic flight not just possible, but safe, sustainable, and commercially viable,“ the order, entitled: Leading The World in Supersonic Flight, explains.

The order also mandates the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to coordinate research and development through the National Science and Technology Council, with the aim of reinstating the US as the world leader in next-generation aerospace innovation and sustainability.

New Concorde in the pipeline

The design flaws that contributed to the Flight 4590 crash were outlined in the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) investigation report published on issued on 16 January 2002. Changes includes strengthening the lining of fuel tanks, safer electronics housing and burst-resistant tires.

Fly-Concorde plan to construct a new Concorde, which will retain it’s original shape but will be 50% lighter thanks to the latest, thermal resistant, carbon fiber composite materials. The new model will be more environmentally-friendly, running on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which will cut emissions by 80%.

It will also cruise at 60,000 feet - a higher altitude than most conventional commercial aircraft (38,000 feet). The new Fly-Concorde jet will be able to transport passengers from London to New York in just two hours, and Paris to Riyadh in 1 hour 43 minutes (instead of 5 hours 10 minutes, while operating faster, quieter, and cleaner than the original Concorde. The first flights have been penciled in for January 2026.

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