How Fast Is Concorde?

Concorde cruised at Mach 2.04 — 2,179 km/h, cutting London-New York to 3.5 hours. Air friction heated the aluminium fuselage to 127°C, stretching the airframe by 25 cm during cruise. Retired in 2003 — the only time transatlantic flight has ever gotten objectively slower.

Concorde retired in 2003 after 27 years of service. No commercial supersonic airliner has flown since — making intercontinental flight slower today than it was in 1976.

• Mach 2.04
• Airframe stretched 25 cm in flight from heat