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Dubai group may buy Concorde

London, April 8, 2009

A Dubai consortium has shown interest to buy the last Concorde plane kept by British Airways and make it a tourist attraction, a report said.

Alpha Bravo, which was due to be put on display at Heathrow Airport, may be cut into pieces and shipped to the UAE emirate, The Times report said.

If the sale goes through, it will be the second piece of British engineering history to be sent to Dubai. Already the QE2 cruise liner, which was sold to Dubai earlier this year, is stationed in Dubai waters.

BA’s seven-strong Concorde fleet was grounded in 2003 and six of the planes were given to museums.

A source close to the consortium told The Times: “If any Concorde was going to return to flight, Alpha Bravo would not be the one because it did not have the safety modifications made to others after the Paris crash in 2000. It would be very well taken care of in Dubai.”

Ben Lord, of the Save Concorde Group, told the newspaper: “Sending it to Dubai would be a kick in the teeth for Britain’s aviation heritage. Chopping off its wings and putting it on a ship would be the final insult.”

BA admitted that it may remove Alpha Bravo from Heathrow, but refused to comment on the Dubai consortium.




Tags: Dubai | Concorde | Alpha Bravo |

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