The same, but different

A380 and Concorde – how the fates conspired

At first look, the mighty doubledecker A380 and the sleek delta-wing Aerospatial/BAC Concorde may seem to have very little in common. But as we all know, looks can deceive and these two aircraft – one approaching the end of the (production) line and one consigned to history, do possess one or two striking similarities.

First, if it wasn’t for Concorde, and the coming together of principally French and British expertise, it could be argued that we would not have seen the subsequent development of an Airbus capable of going toe-to-toe with Boeing.