Virgin’s Branson asks gov't not to ground Concorde

VIRGIN Atlantic Airways’ Richard Branson has asked government to intervene in British Airways’ plans to fly three of the remaining five serviceable Concordes to museums around the world. The department for Culture, Media and Sport places export bans on other masterpieces to prevent them from being lost to the nation. Concorde has been described as the British design icon of the 20th century. Branson has compared Concorde with other artefacts. “An individual can enjoy the pleasure of living in a beautiful, historic building but is prevented from changing or destroying it. BA was given Concorde by the nation and enjoyed flying it. BA should now be stopped from grounding it,” he said. (Natalia Thomson)