COVER N. 719 - BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORIES - GIBRALTAR

Postmark: Gibraltar 06.05.2026

Posted on the 6th May;  Received on the 26th May 2026

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Concorde... a beautiful name for a beautiful aircraft and one that fully echoes the fact that its design and construction transcended boundaries, languages and, most of all, metric systems, no mean feat when maximum tolerances have to be probably kept in millesimal (or even smaller) figures....

This outstanding piece of machinery first took to the air in 1969 while its first commercial flights occurred on 21 January 1976, when at 11h40 F-BVFA for Air France and G-BOAA for British Airways took off, the former  from Paris - Charles de Gaulle bound to Rio de Janeiro and the Latter from London Heathrow bound to Barhein.

This year thus marks the 50th anniversary of these first commercial flights, so receiving a cover with a full set dedicated to this outstanding landmark in aviation history feels like a way of celebrating the feat.

The culprit for this is none other that my friend Eric, the Flying Dutchman, and there must some sort of a celestial bodies alignment right now because yesterday, the day after the cover landed on my letterbox, I had the pleasure of spending an entire afternoon with Eric himself, which we made sure we made the most of, touring around the coast, so that I could show him some of the local sights.

So Muito obrigado Eric pelo belo envelope. Foi um gosto passar a tarde na tua companhia.

As stated above, Concorde's maiden flight took place in 1969. 50 years later, on 20APR2019, Gibraltar Postal Administration issued the set of four stamps on the cover, illustrated with excellent photos that indeed do justice to the aircraft's superior aesthetics,  by way of celebration of this event.