10...9...8... It is countdown to history as the Concorde prepares to land for the last time.
Falling passenger numbers and rising maintenance costs are cited as the reasons behind the decision to withdraw the Concorde.
But safety concerns have plagued the aircraft since July 2000. Shortly after taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, an Air France Concorde burst into flames and crashed into a hotel near the town of Gonesse, killing 109 passengers and crew and four people on the ground. The airline made its final Concorde flight from New York to Paris in May.
British Airways, which grounded its Concorde fleet following the accident, resumed flights a year later. Redevelopment programmes cost the airline £17 million on safety enhancements and £14 million on interior improvements, which raised many eyebrows.
Pressure also mounted from environmental groups. Apart from its heavy fuel consumption -- nearly 25,650 litres an hour -- the Concorde flies much higher than normal jets and the nitrogen oxide expelled from its engines breaks down ozone, contributing to the ozone hole. Eco-activists decried the aircraft's noise pollution and its deafening sonic boom.