G-BOAG
G-BOAG, originally registered G-BFKW, is a preserved British-built Concorde Type 1 variant 102 formerly operated by British Airways. It is Concorde production number 214 and is recorded by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under manufacturer serial number 100-014. The aircraft operated British Airways' final scheduled Concorde service from New York to London on 24 October 2003, then set a New York–Seattle speed record on its final flight to The Museum of Flight on 5 November.[1][2][3]
Identity and serial systems
G-BOAG is known as Alpha Golf, using the phonetic alphabet for the final two letters of its later registration. It is the second-highest-numbered of British Airways' seven production Concordes, after G-BOAF (production number 216).[3][4]
The following identifiers all refer to the same physical airframe:
| Identifier | Value | Meaning |
| Original UK registration | G-BFKW | Registration used during manufacture, testing and initial British Airways operation |
| Later UK registration | G-BOAG | Registration used from 9 February 1981 until de-registration |
| Concorde production number | 214 | Even-numbered sequence used for British-built production aircraft |
| CAA manufacturer serial number | 100-014 | Serial in the UK civil aircraft register |
The Museum of Flight displays 214 as its serial number because museums and Concorde histories commonly use the production sequence. The CAA instead records 100-014. Neither number should be silently substituted for the other.[3][1]
The CAA record gives the manufacturer as the British Aircraft Corporation, type Concorde Type 1 Variant 102, ICAO 24-bit address 4004B9, four Rolls-Royce Olympus 593 Mk 610-14-28 engines and maximum take-off weight of 185,070 kg.[1]
A technical history describes airframe 214 at first flight as variant 191, reflecting its original manufacturer configuration. The sidebar uses the CAA's later civil-register designation, while retaining the initial variant description as a historical configuration rather than presenting it as a different aircraft.[5]
Construction and delayed entry into service
The aircraft was assembled at Filton as production number 214 and first flew on 21 April 1978 under registration G-BFKW. It was one of the late production aircraft for which no immediate airline purchase had been completed, so it remained with the manufacturer after flight testing.[5][6]
British Airways accepted G-BFKW on 6 February 1980 under a sale-or-return arrangement while G-BOAC was undergoing work at Filton. The aircraft operated its first British Airways passenger service to New York on 7 February, one day after delivery.[5][7]
On 26 April 1980, an attempted New York service was abandoned after water contamination of a hydraulic system contributed to an intake-ramp malfunction and engine surges at supersonic speed. Extensive remedial work followed, and the aircraft remained out of service for more than a year.[5][8]
British Airways re-registered the airframe as G-BOAG on 9 February 1981. The CAA historical ledger retains G-BFKW as the previous registration and records the G-BOAG mark from that date.[1]
British Airways career
After its 1981 return, G-BOAG joined the scheduled Concorde operation based at Heathrow. British Airways published a 100-seat layout with 40 seats in the forward cabin and 60 aft. The CAA record's regulatory maximum-passenger value of 144 is a different field and is not evidence that the airline installed 144 seats.[2][1]
From 1982 to 1984, British Airways kept G-BOAG out of service and used components from it to support the remainder of the fleet during a shortage of spares. The airline returned the aircraft to operation after acquiring development Concorde G-BBDG as a dedicated source of components.[8]
G-BOAG was the first British Airways Concorde to appear in the Landor corporate identity. It flew in the new livery on 25 April 1985 and also received a revised interior. The aircraft later carried the Chatham Dockyard Union Flag scheme used at the end of the fleet's career.[8][9]
On take-off from New York JFK on 9 August 1981, two tyres burst and debris caused minor penetration of fuel tank 5. The event was among the tyre and tank-damage cases examined in the investigation of Air France Flight 4590; it did not result in loss of the aircraft.[10]
Grounding and return to service
After the Air France Flight 4590 accident on 25 July 2000, Concorde certificates of airworthiness were suspended. G-BOAG received the fuel-tank protection, tyre and related modifications developed for return to service and made its first post-modification flight on 19 October 2001. It was the third British Airways Concorde to fly after modification.[11][8]
British Airways resumed passenger operations in November 2001. G-BOAG remained active through the airline's 2003 retirement programme and took part in the North American and UK farewell flights, including visits to Toronto, Washington Dulles and Manchester.[8][2]
Final commercial service
On 24 October 2003, G-BOAG operated BA002 from New York JFK to London Heathrow, the last scheduled commercial Concorde service. Captain Mike Bannister commanded the flight. Two other British Airways Concordes arrived at Heathrow after farewell circuits on the same day, so the final scheduled passenger flight and the day's last ceremonial arrival should be described separately.[2][3]
The flight ended British Airways' scheduled supersonic passenger operation, but it was not G-BOAG's final flight. The aircraft departed Heathrow for New York on 3 November to begin its journey to preservation in Seattle.[8]
Final flight and preservation
G-BOAG left New York for Seattle on 5 November 2003. Canadian authorities permitted a supersonic segment over the sparsely populated north of the country. The aircraft completed the New York–Seattle journey in 3 hours 55 minutes 2 seconds, including 1 hour 34 minutes 4 seconds at supersonic speed, establishing a city-pair speed record.[3]
The aircraft is preserved in The Museum of Flight's Aviation Pavilion at Boeing Field, Seattle. British Airways retains ownership and the museum holds the airframe on loan. The museum publishes digital panoramic tours of the cockpit and cabin; any on-site interior access should be checked with the museum because exhibit arrangements can change.[3]
The CAA de-registered G-BOAG on 4 May 2004 because it had been permanently withdrawn from use. Its register extract records 16,239 hours at 31 December 2003. The airframe history gives a more precise operational total of 16,239 hours 27 minutes, 5,633 landings and 5,066 supersonic flights.[1][8]
Timeline
| Date | Event |
| 27 January 1978 | Registered G-BFKW to British Aerospace |
| 21 April 1978 | First flight at Filton |
| 6 February 1980 | Delivered to British Airways as G-BFKW |
| 7 February 1980 | First British Airways passenger service, to New York |
| 26 April 1980 | Withdrawn after hydraulic-system contamination and intake-ramp malfunction |
| 9 February 1981 | Re-registered G-BOAG |
| 9 August 1981 | Tyre-burst event at New York caused minor fuel-tank penetration |
| 1982–1984 | Stored and used as a source of fleet spares |
| 25 April 1985 | First British Airways Concorde flown in Landor livery |
| 19 October 2001 | First flight after post-accident modification |
| 24 October 2003 | Operated BA002, the final scheduled commercial Concorde service |
| 3 November 2003 | Flew Heathrow–New York on the first stage of its preservation journey |
| 5 November 2003 | Final flight, New York–Seattle; set a 3:55:02 city-pair record |
| 4 May 2004 | De-registered as permanently withdrawn from use |
Data-quality notes
Production number 214 and CAA serial number
100-014are distinct identifiers for the same airframe.G-BFKW was the aircraft's real former registration, not a temporary Braniff interchange mark.
First flight, delivery, first passenger service, re-registration and post-repair return all occurred on different dates.
The CAA regulatory maximum of 144 passengers is not substituted for British Airways' 100-seat cabin.
G-BOAG's final commercial service on 24 October and its final flight on 5 November 2003 were separate events.
Preserved and open for walkthroughs do not mean airworthy.
Related pages
Sources
G-INFO aircraft register search — UK Civil Aviation Authority, record extract dated 28 August 2026
Concorde G-BOAG — The Museum of Flight
Celebrating Concorde — British Airways
G-BOAG (214) — Heritage Concorde
An unusual career: G-BOAG — Mach 2 magazine, February 2020
Air France Flight 4590 final report — Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses
Image source and licence: G-BOAG at Leeds Bradford — Ian Gratton, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
_(2).jpg){kind=link}