CONCORDE was a ground-breaking project involving the finest minds of the French Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation which took its first flight in 1969 and changed commercial aviation forever.

But little more than 30 years later the dream machine that “looked like something from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey,” was grounded… possibly forever.

Its pioneering design, with a slender body and innovative ‘delta wings’, allowed it to achieve a cruising speed of Mach 2, faster than the Earth’s rotation.

And while the concept was borne out of the Space Race and France and Britain’s bid to outdo the US and Russia, commercial passengers soon got to experience the thrill of it, with the first flights available to the (very rich) public in 1976.

Tourists could cross the Atlantic in three and a half hours, then disembark with pockets full of iconic cutlery that was so impressive even Andy Warhol pinched some as a souvenir, France-Amerique claims.

The Concorde was not only a remarkable feat of engineering but also an object of extreme beauty, with its signature droop nose system giving it an eagle-like appearance as it landed.

The interior was almost as stunning, with the cabin streamlined by French graphic designer Raymond Loewy, the ‘father of industrial design’ behind  Lucky Strike cigarettes, the Greyhound bus and logos for Exxon, Shell and BP.

However, despite its remarkable qualities, the Concorde ultimately failed.

Its downfall was not due to its speed, but due to economic factors and environmental concerns.

It was expensive to operate, with high fuel consumption unable to be balanced even by the exorbitant ticket prices.

A return flight in 1989, when Concorde set its  record of two hours and 59 minutes to reach New York from Paris, was about £10,000.

Noise pollution from the sonic boom it produced when surpassing the sound barrier limited its routes over residential areas, posing a significant challenge.

The nail in its coffin was several accidents, the worst of which occurred in 2000 when an Air France Concorde crashed shortly after take-off.

The plane, which was due to fly from Paris to New York, ran over a strip of metal on the runway, causing a tyre to blow out. A large fragment of rubber then struck a fuel tank on the underside of the wing, causing an explosion.

The resulting accident caused the the death of all passengers on board and four people on the ground, with 113 fatalities in total.

The Concorde’s last flight was on October 24, 2003.

But will it ever fly again?

Surely an operating plane could be kept for airshows like other classic airplanes?

Sadly the answer is now almost definitely no, despite the efforts of numerous campaign groups.

Concorde was an expensive aircraft to operate. It required a large crew and a lot of maintenance. There have also been major advances in aviation technology, making Concorde’s technology obsolete.

This coupled with safety concerns and the fact that considerable improvements in standards have been made since then, there would be significant risks in operating such an old aircraft.

But putting money, safety and the environment aside, which of the existing airframes are the most viable to be operationally restored?

All Concorde aircraft have been retired from commercial service, and the majority of them are now in museums or on display in various locations around the world. Some of the airframes are in better condition than others, depending on the care and maintenance they have received since being retired.

There are a number of viable options, but there are three that stand out, according to expert website Heritage Concorde.

One of the most well-maintained Concorde aircraft is the Air France Concorde F-BTSD, which is displayed at Le Bourget, Paris.

“This Concorde has had some of its systems preserved as working, the aircraft was never decommissioned in the same way the rest of the fleet were. The preservation team at Le Bourget are doing a fantastic job on her. She has all four Olympus engines in place.”

Second in line is Air France Concorde F-BVFA, which is currently displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington.

“This Concorde is preserved in exactly the same condition as delivered, the Smithsonian pride themselves in this sort of preservation. No access is allowed on-board, this aircraft should be in ‘as delivered’ condition although it is likely it has had pressure vessels removed or discharged.”

Last is the British Airways Concorde G-BOAE, which is in Barbados.

“This Concorde was decommissioned with all the other British Airways fleet, however since her arrival in Barbados she has been undercover and is complete down to the last piece of cutlery. The preservation here is fantastic, she is de-humidified and looks exactly as delivered. She has all four Olympus engines in place and is a testament to the team looking after her.”

There are plenty of others of course, one of the youngest airframes is the British Airways Concorde G-BOAF. It currently lives in the former Filton Airfield site in Gloucestershire. But it was stored outside for a number of years which could have the potential to cause untold damage.

Despite its demise, the aspiration for supersonic flight persists, with companies such as Boom Supersonic promising more cost-effective and environmentally friendly SST solutions.

So while the Queens of the Sky remain grounded, the dream of seeing them soaring above us once again, it seems, lives on.