LARGE VIRGIN AIRLINES CONCORDE MODEL ON ORIGINAL CHROME STAND c.2003

DESCRIPTION

A splendid vintage fibreglass and plastic composite model of a Concorde in full Virgin Atlantic livery mounted on an original chrome plated stand made by Space Models, circa 2003. This 1:36 scale aircraft model would have been presented in Virgin Atlantic’s top travel agents to use for marketing activities during its campaign to buy the supersonic airliner from British Airways in 2003. As such there was a very small run of production of Concordes bearing these livery colours, a true collector’s item.

British Airways retired its Concorde aircraft in October 2003. When it announced this date, Virgin Atlantic had hoped to purchase the airline's seven examples of the iconic supersonic airliner. Indeed, its founder, Sir Richard Branson, even appealed for support for the government in this matter. Virgin Atlantic's enterprising founder, Sir Richard Branson, saw this as an opportunity to bring supersonic travel to his airline. CNN reported the following day that he planned to offer British Airways "the same price that they were given them for - one pound" for each of its Concorde aircraft. British Airways promptly dismissed the bid, insisting the aircraft were not for sale. Branson later increased his offer to £1 million and then £5 million for each retired aircraft.

The BBC reported that he also appealed for support from the British government in this venture. Specifically, he claimed that a clause in British Airways' privatization agreement from the 1980s stated that "if BA no longer wanted Concorde, then another British airline should be allowed to operate the supersonic fleet." However, government officials were unable to find evidence of such a clause. Subsequently, when British Airways ceased Concorde operations in October 2003 and the aircraft went straight into retirement and preservation.

Although Virgin Atlantic was unsuccessful in obtaining British Airways' Concorde aircraft, it is interesting to consider how things might have otherwise been. According to the BBC, the airline's plans for Concorde operations included a two-class cabin. In this setup, standard fares would have been cheaper than those offered by BA and Air France, with first class being more expensive. This way, the awe and majesty of supersonic flight would have been more accessible to the paying public than ever before. Concorde would also have been well suited to Virgin Atlantic's network. One of the airline's most important routes has always been London-New York. Indeed, its first-ever flight in 1984 connected Gatwick and Newark. It later expanded its network to Heathrow and New York JFK, which was BA's flagship route for the type. As such, Virgin Atlantic would have been able to operate Concorde between airports that were already equipped with suitable infrastructure to handle the iconic supersonic airliner. However, where the airline would have struggled is the upkeep of the aircraft. Its expensive maintenance costs had been too much for the much larger carriers of British Airways and Air France. As such, it is hard to see how a smaller carrier such as Virgin Atlantic would have kept on top of these costs. This is particularly crucial when one considers that spare parts for Concorde had stopped being supplied in 2003.

It is therefore difficult to ascertain whether a Virgin Atlantic Concorde would truly have been economically viable for any private enterprise. What is certain is that Sir Richard Branson knows how to run a business as much, if not more, than any other entrepreneur. Perhaps his thought process took into consideration the prestige and advertising capabilities of being the only carrier to have supersonic aircrafts in its fleet and a supersonic airliner bearing Virgin Atlantic's striking red tail and interior would surely have made for an impressive sight.

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CONDITION

In Good Condition - Some damage to one of the wing tips, otherwise excellent. Has the original “rings” on four points so that the model can be hung/suspended rather than placed on its chrome stand. Please refer to photographs.

SIZE

Height: 110cm
Width: 171cm
Depth: 72.5cm