Retro footage shows Concorde touching down at tiny British airport in 1999 with a beautiful landing
- YouTube footage shows Concorde landing in the UK in 1999
- Concorde was one of the only supersonic airliners ever built
- British Airways and Air France retired Concorde in 2003
Published on Mar 16, 2025 at 6:31 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Mar 12, 2025 at 1:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Sensational footage on YouTube shows a Concorde supersonic airliner landing at Leeds Bradford Airport in the UK back in 1999.
Concorde, capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound, first took flight in 1969 and entered commercial service in 1976 before being retired in 2003.
The 1999 footage shows an excited crowd watching the supersonic airliner arrive and then depart later on in the video.
Concorde last flew on November 26th, 2003, with aircraft G-BOAF flying to its retirement home at Filton in Bristol, UK.
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The loud engines of Concorde are evident in the video
Concorde was probably the loudest airliner ever built.
This was thanks to its four Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 engines, complete with afterburner to allow it to reach supersonic speeds.
The noise is evident in the video as it makes a tremendous racket coming in to land at Leeds Bradford airport, UK.
After touching down, the reverse thrust is engaged.
This directs the engine’s power the other way via ducts on the engine’s intakes.
They allowed Concorde to slow down quicker and without the need for excessive braking or a parachute.
Reverse thrust is common on most modern airliners and some military jets.
The video shows the airliner, resplendent in its British Airways livery, taxiing in and pulling off from the runway.
Concorde’s take-off was always a spectacle
The second portion of the video shows the airliner taking off later in the day following its brief stopover.
The noise is once again evident as it powers down the runway, with full reheat engaged as it blasts into the air.
The famous ‘droop snoot’ is also in operation as the aircraft lands and departs.
The ‘droop snoot’ was where the front portion of the nose lowered, allowing the pilots to see better during take-off and landing.
The nose then retracts as the speed increases, giving Concorde its fully streamlined look as it accelerates beyond Mach 1.
Only a handful of other aircraft ever had a ‘droop snoot,’ most famously the Tupolev Tu-144, the Soviet copy of Concorde dubbed ‘Konkordski.’
In total, 20 Concordes were built, including six prototypes and test aircraft.
Of those, 18 have survived.
F-BTSC was the French Concorde destroyed in the accident on July 25th, 2000, near Le Bourget Airport, France.
French aircraft F-BVFD was used as spares and scrapped in 1994.
Of the remaining 18, 17 are on public display.
One of the 17, G-BOAB, is now stored at London Heathrow.
Despite some plans by enthusiasts and former pilots, its unlikely Concorde will ever fly again. Which is a shame, right?
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
