Thousands recently thought Concorde was flying from Paris to New York until they realized something
- Thousands of people thought Concorde was flying from Paris to New York
- The flight appeared on Flight Radar 24
- But things weren’t quite what they seemed
Published on Apr 03, 2025 at 8:18 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Apr 03, 2025 at 9:27 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
More than 50,000 flight enthusiasts kept their eyes glued to Flight Radar 24 as they tracked Concorde making its way from Paris to New York – until they realized things weren’t quite what they seemed.
Unveiled as a joint venture between the UK and France back in the early 1960s, Concorde was officially retired more than two decades ago.
These days, the supersonic jet can only be seen in aviation museums.
So, why did so many people think it had taken to the skies again just this week?
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Thousands of aviation enthusiasts thought Concorde was back
The iconic Concorde aircraft took its first commercial passenger flight in January 1976 and was thought to be the dawn of a new age of supersonic travel.
Concorde had a maximum cruising speed of 2,179 km (1,354 miles) per hour, or Mach 2.04, meaning it could fly between New York and London in around three hours – and once managed it in a record-breaking two hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds.
However, 27 years after its first commercial flight, Concorde was retired for good.
These days, the famed plane has icon status amongst fans of aviation.
So, you can imagine the response when Flight Radar 24 listed the retired supersonic jet as flying between Paris Charles de Gaulle and New York’s JFK Airport on April 1, 2025.
As word spread, more than 50,000 people tuned in to watch the live tracking of the flight on Flight Radar 24.
Meanwhile, a post shared by the website on X racked up hundreds of comments, 21,000 likes, and more than a million views.
But the truth about the ‘transatlantic flight’ soon came to light
However, after dutiful tracking the flight online, some folks began to grow suspicious.
And their suspicions were confirmed after checking the date: April 1 – AKA April Fool’s Day – and realizing it had all been a prank from Flight Radar 24.
“You got me, I wish it were true, though,” one person said.
“Really wish today wasn’t April 1st and this was true,” someone else wrote.
While a third commented: “You got me! And I knew today was April 1. I tried to look it up and then realized.”
The crafty team at Flight Radar 24 didn’t stop the pranking there, either – they later posted another ‘Concorde flight’, this time from London to New York, and managed to fool a whole new batch of people.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
