It was 50 years ago this week that Concorde flew its first commercial flights, with British Airways flying their aircraft from London to Bahrain and Air France debuting their route from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. Right up until tragedy struck in the early 2000s, Concorde became the personification of high-speed intercontinental travel for the wealthy and business elite. 

To trace the story of this extraordinary episode in aviation history is reporter Simon Tierney, who has been investigating the archives.