Today in history: On February 16, 1998 an Air France Concorde visited Auckland

"A rare visitor to Auckland dropped in this afternoon. An Air France Concorde was the centre of attention, as it refuelled, on its way to Tahiti."

That's how the visit was covered on television on February 16, 1998, when one of the most recognisable and fascinating aircraft in history visited New Zealand for one of just a handful of appearances it would make in the country.  

Hundreds gathered at Auckland International Airport to see the aircraft touch down.
Hundreds gathered at Auckland International Airport to see the aircraft touch down. Photo credit: Newshub

Today, 23 years on, interest in the aircraft continues.

The first time a Concorde visited Aotearoa was in 1986 when a British Airways airliner flew around the world to celebrate its 10th birthday; but in 1998 it was the French who visited.

The aircraft stopped off in Auckland enroute to Papeete from Sydney, and was only on the ground for about an hour - but that was long enough to attract hundreds of people to the airport lookout. 

According to aviation blog MRC Aviation, the aircraft visited New Zealand a number of times that year, including visits to Christchurch.

Concorde first flew in 1969 and provided supersonic travel mainly between London and New York for decades until a fiery crash in Paris in 2000 essentially grounded the fleet for good.

This particular aircraft, F-BVFB, flew for the final time in 2003 and is now on permanent display at Technik Museum Sinsheim in Germany.