Me and a friend have been talking about the Concorde over the past few weeks so I was pretty surprised yesterday to find out that the plane actually came to Kuwait back in 1979.
On Monday 19 February 1979 the Queen flew on Concorde from Heathrow to the sunshine of Kuwait in just under four hours, at the start of a three-week Middle East tour that would include Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The Queen’s Private Secretary later wrote to Ross Stainton, BA’s Chief Executive to say the Queen was especially glad to make her visit to Saudi Arabia by Concorde. Apart from making the first day of the tour very much easier for Her Majesty, this wonderful aircraft created a great impression, and there could have been no better way of commencing a most important tour covering seven countries. source
Sadly, I only found a handful of photos of this event and none show the plane fully. The Queen ended up leaving Kuwait aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia as part of the tour of the Gulf while the Concorde flew to Bahrain.
Thanks Nick
20 replies on “When the Concorde came to Kuwait”
I remember reading about this somewhere – thanks for the images!
FYI – the aircraft is referred to without an article in the United Kingdom, so it’s simply ‘Concorde,’ not ‘the Concorde.’
you know the first concorde commercial flight was london to bahrain.
Don’t quote me on this but I heard that kuwait banned the Concorde due to a sonic boom it created which shattered windows. My grandparents used to say the shah of Iran was ordering several for their airline and one as an official jet.
I do have an entire set of Concorde documents inside the original bag and a few sets of things like salt and pepper shakers from Concorde as my grandmother used to fly to Bahrain to catch a flight to Toronto and newyork it is amazing to think she flew supersonic at the age of 80.
share pics!
I sent them to you via email
https://imgur.com/gallery/AgEIwxS
Thanks for sharing them!
I flew the Concorde once and I never got any of this!
When the Concord came to Kuwait? More like when the Queen came to Kuwait!
Had no idea she visited.
Wow! Nice find
Good to know in 1979 they had super fast planes but in 2020 planes are bigger & slower.
The reason for it is being more fuel efficient while also able to carry a lot more passengers. Fraction of the carbon footprint per passenger comparing the modern aircraft’s to the concorde.
I thought the airport couldn’t take the concorde,, short runway
🤷🏼♂️
mark i do not think it took 4 hours ,, lol
London to Kuwait in under 4 hours, why do you find that funny?
Brenda, QoE looking super cutesy as ever! I bet she made a quick stop at the Salhiya complex or was it commissioned later on in summer of 1979……..
I do not know.
I wonder if she would have done a quick Cherie Booth if Salhiya was around 😂
Strange the Concord never made it to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Did they even have a proper airport back in 79?
I would have loved flying on Concorde if only for the drinks- the signature pink champagne that they served.
Now, I am lucky if I can get a pink Gin during lockdown.
HI Mark – those photos are amazing. Do you hold the copyright for them?
hey no i don’t, i forgot where i got them from i think on flickr