In the history of global aviation, few aircraft have commanded as much fascination and admiration as the Concorde. Did you know that this type of aircraft in its lifetime made three visits to Kenya?

Sleek, needle-nosed, and capable of outrunning the sound barrier, Concorde was more than just a plane; it was a symbol of prestige, technological advancement, and national pride. For Kenya, a nation with its own growing aviation story, the supersonic jet made only a handful of appearances, but each of them left an indelible mark.

Concorde’s first arrival in Kenya occurred in 1975, when it landed at the then Nairobi International Airport—today known as Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). This visit was not a commercial service but rather part of a series of icing trials, where engineers tested how the aircraft performed under different weather conditions.

The sight of the futuristic jet on the Nairobi tarmac was nothing short of spectacular, and crowds of onlookers gathered to witness what seemed like a machine from another age. It was an encounter that cemented Nairobi’s place, however briefly, in the global story of supersonic travel.

Years later, in the 1990s, another Concorde touched down at JKIA, this time on a special publicity stopover. This particular visit became famous because of a series of striking images captured by photographer Simon Watts, which showed the jet alongside Maasai warriors and even a semi-tame cheetah. The juxtaposition of the world’s fastest passenger plane with traditional African culture and wildlife created a surreal yet powerful visual statement.

While clear documentation exists for the 1975 and mid-1990s visits, accounts suggest a third Concorde appearance in Kenya, potentially linked to additional testing or promotional flights.

Although details are less concrete, aviation enthusiasts note occasional non-transatlantic and charter flights by Concorde that led to one-off landings in various global locations. It’s plausible that one such flight included Kenya—perhaps tied to additional trials or a sales or demonstration mission—but specifics remain undocumented in public records.

Unlike its transatlantic operations, Concorde’s Kenyan visits were rare, technical, and promotional rather than routine. Yet they remain part of the country’s aviation lore, moments when Kenya briefly played host to one of the most iconic machines in history.

To appreciate the significance of Concorde’s visits to Kenya, it is necessary to understand the extraordinary aircraft itself.

Born out of a 1962 Anglo-French agreement, Concorde was a joint creation of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale). The idea was to design and build a supersonic passenger jet that could revolutionize air travel by cutting flight times dramatically. Its first prototype flew in 1969, and by 1976 the aircraft had entered commercial service with British Airways and Air France.

The performance of Concorde was nothing short of remarkable. Powered by four Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 turbojet engines, it could reach Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound—over 2,180 kilometers per hour. At cruising altitude, typically 60,000 feet, passengers could actually see the curvature of the Earth.

A flight from London to New York that would normally take about seven hours on a subsonic airliner was completed in less than three and a half. For its era, it was the pinnacle of speed, luxury, and engineering sophistication.

Concorde was not just about speed, though—it was about image. The aircraft became a favorite for celebrities, royalty, and wealthy business executives. Flying Concorde was as much a social statement as it was a means of travel.

Passengers enjoyed an exclusive experience, fine dining, and the thrill of knowing they were aboard the most advanced civilian aircraft in the skies. It quickly became a fixture in the imagination of the public, symbolizing human achievement and a glamorous jet-set lifestyle.

Yet, despite the marvels it offered, Concorde was also constrained. Only 20 aircraft were ever built, and of these, 14 entered commercial service.

Further, its routes were limited primarily to transatlantic flights because supersonic speeds over land generated sonic booms, which were considered disruptive and even damaging. As a result, its most famous route was London or Paris to New York and Washington. It was admired worldwide, but its operations were always selective, elite, and expensive.

Concorde’s story, however, is as much about its challenges as it is about its triumphs. The aircraft was finally retired in 2003, and the reasons for this decision lay in a combination of economic, technical, and tragic circumstances.

One of the greatest hurdles Concorde faced throughout its career was cost. The aircraft was enormously fuel-hungry, burning more than 25,000 liters per hour during flight. Even taxiing consumed staggering amounts of fuel.

This made ticket prices extremely high, with round-trip fares in the 1990s reaching between $10,000 (Ksh1.3 million) and $12,000 (Ksh1.6 million), affordable only to a very limited group of travelers. For most airlines, this lack of a broad customer base meant Concorde was never truly profitable.

A second blow came from safety concerns. On July 25, 2000, Air France Flight 4590 crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, killing all passengers and crew on board as well as several people on the ground. The accident was traced to debris on the runway puncturing a tire, which then ruptured a fuel tank. Although Concorde was modified and returned to service after safety improvements, public confidence was badly shaken.

The third factor was the global downturn in aviation after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States (US). Passenger numbers declined sharply, particularly in the premium travel segment that Concorde relied upon. Suddenly, operating a costly supersonic aircraft became less and less viable.

There were also logistical and regulatory challenges. Because of its sonic boom, Concorde could not fly supersonic over populated areas, restricting it almost exclusively to oceanic routes.

At the same time, the small Concorde fleet was aging, and Airbus, which had inherited the responsibility for supporting the aircraft, announced it would no longer supply spare parts. Without the backing of a manufacturer, maintaining such a specialized aircraft became unsustainable.

By May 2003, Air France operated its final Concorde flight, and by October of the same year, British Airways followed suit. The last ceremonial Concorde flight returned the aircraft to its birthplace in Filton, England, closing a remarkable chapter in aviation history.

Although Concorde never operated regular services to Nairobi or any other African city, its visits to Kenya—one in 1975 and the other two in the 1980s and 1990s—remain unique highlights of the country’s aviation history. For those who witnessed it on the tarmac of Nairobi International Airport, it was a glimpse into a futuristic world, one in which air travel could conquer time and distance in ways never before imagined.

Today, Concorde rests in museums across Europe and the United States, admired as an engineering marvel that was ahead of its time but ultimately too costly and impractical to survive in the modern aviation industry. Yet, in Nairobi, memories still linger of the day when the supersonic jet descended onto Kenyan soil, bringing with it not just speed, but a sense of awe and inspiration.