Grounded Ambitions: The Story of Sir Richard Branson's Failed Bid to Keep Concorde Flying for Virgin Atlantic
Following the announcement of Concorde's retirement, Sir Richard Branson made an ambitious bid to acquire the supersonic fleet for Virgin Atlantic. He initially offered British Airways just £1 per aircraft, later increasing the offer to £5 million for the entire fleet. Branson publicly argued that Virgin Atlantic could operate the iconic jets profitably, challenging the reasons cited for their grounding. However, the proposal was ultimately rejected by both British Airways and the aircraft's manufacturer, Airbus. The primary obstacles were the withdrawal of manufacturer support and the prohibitively high maintenance costs, which sealed Concorde's fate in 2003.
Official Source: https://simpleflying.com/virgin-atlantic-concorde-sir-richard-branson-quixotic-supersonic-quest/
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