Air France marks 50th anniversary of Concorde’s first commercial flight

It has been 50 years since Air France operated its first commercial Concorde flight to Dakar and Rio de Janeiro on Jan. 21, 1976.

Five decades later, the airline is celebrating this iconic legacy and symbol of excellence in French aviation by launching an exclusive collection of merchandise that will soon be available on shopping.airfrance.com.

The airline will also premiere a special documentary retracing the history of this French aviation legend on its YouTube channel starting today (Jan. 21, 2026).

For those who are aviation history buffs, the Air France Concorde (registration F-BVFA) began its first commercial flight at 12:40 pm, Wed., Jan. 21, 1976 to Rio de Janeiro with a stopover in Dakar.

After a flight time of just 7 hours and 26 minutes, Air France inaugurated its supersonic era, which would continue for 27 years, until 2003. With a cruising altitude of around 60,000 feet – twice as high as other long-haul aircraft – passengers were able to admire the Earth’s curved horizon through the windows.

With a seat capacity of 100, the Concorde reached a cruising speed of Mach 2.02, or 1,350mph. Its sleek, unique and instantly recognizable silhouette featured a wingspan of 84 feet, a length of 204 feet, and a height of 37 feet.

A genuine technological showcase and masterpiece of innovation, the Concorde is a legendary aircraft that embodies Air France’s aeronautical excellence. This pivotal chapter in the airline’s history has left a lasting technological and cultural imprint.

A symbol of Franco-British expertise, it remains today a major reference of Air France’s identity – a precious heritage and an endless source of inspiration shaping innovation and the contemporary customer experience.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Concorde’s inaugural flight, Air France is launching an anniversary collection that pays tribute to this icon of French aviation and to the pioneering vision that marked an entire era.

Model aircraft, silk scarves, shawls, notebooks, and key rings feature among the ten exclusive items, some of them limited editions, to gradually go on sale as from February 2026 on shopping.airfrance.com.