Five Air France employees share memories and never-before-seen footage to mark Concorde's first ever flight for the airline
Published on Jan 27, 2026 at 4:56 AM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Jan 26, 2026 at 10:08 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Five Air France employees have shared some memories to mark the 50th anniversary of the first time a Concorde was flown for the airline.
Back in January 1976, Air France’s Concorde took off on its first commercial flight, first heading to Dakar, and then to Rio.
To celebrate this milestone occasion, Air France employees gathered inside the plane itself at Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace for a conversation with the company’s CEO, Benjamin Smith.
Alongside memories, they had some never-before-seen footage to share.
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What these Air France employees remember about the Concorde
The anniversary was filmed for a video on Air France’s YouTube channel.
Its title said it all – They Made the Legend Fly.
Among the five employees was Laëtitia Auchoix, a lounge agent, Eric Tonnot, a pilot, Nathalie Delahayes, a flight attendant, Sylvain Rondet, a steward, and Raphaël Cloart, a mechanic.
First up was Laëtitia, who joined the airline back in 1996, and was offered a position in the lounge within three months.
As Benjamin Smith suggested, customers flying Concorde for the first time would have been excited, she concurred.
“They were like children with eyes full of wonder,” she recalled.
“They wanted to enjoy each moment. And often, upon their return, customers would tell us, ‘It was too short!'”
Those are definitely not words people would often use after stepping off a plane.
What did the pilot remember about his years of service?
Eric Tonnot told Smith how the pilots would change the angle of the plane’s nose, depending on whether it was landing or taking off, for greater visibility.
Footage of the inside of the cockpit was shown, in which the pilots were heard preparing for takeoff.
Tonnot gave an insight into what the pilots ate while up in the air.
“On other planes, the flight attendants ask you when you want to eat,” he said.
“On Concorde, there wasn’t time! One hour after takeoff, food was served. It was always the same.”
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These planes were iconic
If you were to ask the average person on the street about supersonic jets, Concorde is undoubtedly the first thing that comes to mind.
It has so many great memories attached to its legacy – it flew so fast that passengers could see the sun rising on an evening flight, and it had one massive sonic boom.
Even though it was retired back in 2003, it remains a staple for aviation fans around the world.
Timeline of Concorde’s time at Air France
1962: France and the UK sign the treaty that launches the Concorde program.
1969: The first Concorde test flight takes off from Toulouse.
January 1976: Air France and British Airways simultaneously launch supersonic transatlantic service.
1980s: The plane becomes a symbol of luxury and technological prestige for the airline.
1990s: Operations begin to strain due to maintenance costs.
July 2000: Concorde fleets grounded worldwide after tragic accident in Paris.
November 2001: After safety modifications, services resume from Paris to New York.
May 2003: Final commercial flight for Air France.
June 2003: Concorde officially withdrawn.
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Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
