Beginning in 1976, the British-French Concorde supersonic transport carried passengers at twice the speed of sound. The Concorde flew for British Airways and Air France, flag carriers of the two nations that funded its development during the late 1960s and 1970s. The United States had a supersonic transport program, but it was ended because of budget and environmental concerns in 1971. The Concorde ended its regular passenger service in October 2003 due to its lack of profitability. Declining ticket sales for the high-priced service, which cost about $9,000 and up for a round trip fare, combined with higher costs led to the Concorde's demise. A fatal air crash in 2000 grounded the Concorde for a full year. It returned to service only to witness a sharp decline in airline travel following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Other routes were added temporarily or seasonally, and the Concorde was flown on chartered flights to destinations all over the world. However, the aircraft’s noise and operating expense limited its service. Financial losses led both airlines to cut routes, eventually leaving New York City as their only regular destination.

The development costs of the Concorde were so great that they could never be recovered from operations, and the aircraft was never financially profitable. Nevertheless, it proved that European governments and manufacturers could co-operate in complex ventures, and it helped to ensure that Europe would remain at the technical forefront of aerospace development.