Quote:
Originally posted by Chewbacca:
Aha, I had a hunch Branson wouldn't let that kind of opportunity pass by. I wonder what the reasoning was behind the refusal to sell.
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Both fear and prestige.
Fear comes into the equation because BA is worried that Branson might actually make a success of it (knowing Branson, he'd probably reduce the price of a trip and *still* find a way to produce a profit).
The prestige part is obvious - Concorde was BA's 'flagship' airliner and simply doesn't want another airline to take over this 'symbol'.
When the British government first 'gave' the Concorde to BA, a clause was inserted into the sale documents allowing the government to re-take ownership of the planes and sell them on to another carrier should BA no longer wish to operate them. The reason for this was that the government has invested billions of pounds (in today's money) in the R&D of it's development. So the British government has the right to interfere in this business. And I think it should.
Concorde is a part of British and French heritage. It marks a technological leap on the scale of R.L. Stephenson's "Locamotive". It is also a shining example of the technological expertise of the two countries and a living advertisement for British and French companies today.
Instead what we are seeing is a testimony into how the current British government is more interested in the cash lobbying of British Airways than it is in the interests of its own country.
The blame for the loss of Concorde falls entirely at Blair's door.