Concorde floats into retirement

Concorde will be a star attraction in the Big Apple

After nearly three decades in flight, one of British Airways' fleet of seven Concordes has been making its way to its final resting place by boat.

The supersonic plane has been towed through New York harbour, to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on the Hudson River.

Concorde made its final flight last month, bringing the era of supersonic travel to an end.

All seven BA Concordes are being sent to museums in the UK and worldwide.

The airline had hoped it would be able to keep one Concorde flying for airshows and special events.

But after carrying out feasibility studies, it said this would not be possible, as the cost would be "absolutely prohibitive".

The other international locations are:

• Museum of Flight in Seattle, US
• Grantley Adams Airport in Bridgetown, Barbados.

The British locations are:

• Airbus UK in Filton near Bristol - where Concorde was built
• Manchester airport
• the Museum of Flight near Edinburgh
• Heathrow airport.

Charity auction

BA is holding a charity auction of Concorde memorabilia on 1 December.

The auction will be conducted by Bonhams and held at the Olympia exhibition centre in Kensington, west London.

Items on offer include a machmeter, a nose cone, and pilot and passenger seats.

Air France, the only other airline with Concorde, retired its fleet of five in May.

Three are going on display in French museums in Le Bourget, Toulouse and Paris.

One has gone to a museum in Sinsheim, in Germany, and the fifth is being sent to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, US.