Posted 1st July 2010 by Andrew Yates wrote:It’s been reported that Airbus UK intend to close BA Concorde Alpha-Foxtrot (G-BOAF) as a public visitor centre this Autumn for alleged maintenance.
Airbus has made plans to remove Concorde G-BOAF (216) from the public in order to relocate the aircraft to one of its Brabazon hangars at Filton for “maintenance”. Unfortunately, no information seems to be forthcoming from Airbus as to the nature of this proposed maintenance: remarkably they are unable to issue a timetable for this maintenance which must call into question exactly what they (Airbus) intend to do.
Ben Lord, Vice Chairman, said: “We are absolutely stunned by this apparent attitude towards Alpha-Foxtrot. As the last Concorde to fly, back to it’s birthplace, we have wholeheartedly supported the fantastic efforts of the volunteers and visitor centre staff at Filton in creating Alpha-Foxtrot into the best possible museum piece despite several restrictions on what they could and couldn’t do with the aircraft.”
“We have launched an immediate inquiry, in full support of the volunteers and staff as it’s those people that deserve to know exactly what is going on. As much as we are campaigning for this marvellous aircraft to fly again in a heritage capacity, of which we hope Alpha-Foxtrot would be the British candidate alongside the French example being worked on near Paris. We are in the process of speaking with both British Airways and Airbus concerning this”
Naturally, the whole team at Filton (in addition to the rest of the Concorde community) is in a state of shock about this planned action. Not only have staff at the centre already allegedly been given “verbal redundancy”, people the world over will no longer be able to marvel at and go onboard this wonderful aircraft. Worse still, BA, the legal owner of Alpha-Foxtrot, seem to have washed their hands of this issue. One of the central tenets of the retirement of the Concorde fleet was that at least the airframes would be placed on public display for many years to come inviting proposals from museums so as to choose suitable locations. BA seems to have conveniently forgotten this fact. Instead, a BA spokesman has reported that “they visit each of the eight Concorde’s annually to conduct a maintenance audit on the BA aircraft”.
Ben Lord adds “BA state that it is a matter for Airbus as to whether the public is given access to the aircraft and the extent of the maintenance to be conducted. This makes no sense at all since BA have stated that together with Airbus, they know the plane better than anyone else, yet they seem to be burying their heads into the sand even more.”
In an ironic twist, this major development gives further weight to the distinct possibility that this work could be in reaction to what’s happening with Air France Concorde “Sierra Delta” in France in getting Alpha-Foxtrot flight-worthy to feature in the opening ceremony of the greatest event on the planet – the 2012 London Olympics.
We at the Save Concorde Group sincerely hopes that our 6+ years of campaigning is possibly being finally listened to and that the sight of a any Concorde back in the skies will no doubt strengthen the resolve of the British people, to allow us to return one of the BA planes to flight and thus satisfy the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the British public.
ENDS
For more information regarding this PR and the Save Concorde Group, please contact:
Ben Lord
Vice Chairman
Tel: 01359 231640 / 07791 394143
E-Mail:
ben.lord@save-concorde.co.uk | Web:
http://www.save-concorde.co.uk
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