From London’s Heathrow Airport and Orly Airport outside Paris, the
first Concordes with commercial passengers simultaneously took
flight on January 21, 1976. The London flight was headed to Bahrain
in the Persian Gulf, and the Paris to Rio de Janeiro via Senegal in
West Africa. At their cruising speeds, the innovative Concordes flew
well over the sound barrier at 1,350 miles an hour, cutting air travel
time by more than half.