Anti-Concorde Project

Anti-Concorde Project

Company type	Activist group
Industry	Environmental activism
Founded	1966
Founder	Richard Wiggs
Area served	United Kingdom, international
Key people	Richard Wiggs
Products	Advocacy against supersonic transport, public awareness campaigns

The Anti-Concorde Project, initiated by environmental campaigner Richard Wiggs, actively opposed supersonic commercial aviation and significantly constrained Concorde's market prospects. Although 74 options (non-binding commitments from 16 airlines) existed at Concorde's maiden flight in 1976, only the orders from the British and French national carriers (BOAC and Air France) were finalized, leading to just 20 aircraft being produced. Additionally, Braniff International and Singapore Airlines operated Concorde services. The initiative also stimulated advancements in reducing sonic booms, culminating in the Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration, which achieved approximately a one-third reduction in sonic boom strength. This development mirrored widespread public unease about aircraft noise, encouraging tighter noise regulations, operational adjustments, and enhancements in aircraft design.

Overview

Following the achievement of supersonic speeds in experimental and military planes during the late 1950s, supersonic passenger travel appeared attainable. However, by the early 1970s, opposition led to prohibitions on commercial supersonic flights across countries including Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, West Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. Supersonic routes were severely restricted since flights were confined to areas away from populated regions—primarily over oceans—and only a limited number of airports could support Concorde’s demanding takeoff criteria. The aircraft's high production costs and greater fuel consumption per passenger kilometer compared to traditional airliners became more problematic amid escalating fuel prices.

Aeronautical engineer Bo Lundberg, who directed the Swedish Aeronautical Research Institute, cautioned during the early 1960s that public opposition would arise due to sonic booms and engine noise.

Established in 1966 by schoolteacher Richard Wiggs, the Anti-Concorde Project aimed to halt the development of supersonic commercial travel. Wiggs portrayed Concorde as a symbol illustrating the conflict between environmental preservation and technological advancement.

Origins

The Anglo-French agreement to develop Concorde was signed in 1962. The following year, The Observer featured an article titled The Supersonic Threat, which drew on Lundberg’s report Speed and Safety In Civil Aviation. This study argued that Concorde’s sonic booms could cause effects ranging from mere disturbance to physical damage such as shattered windows and structural weakening. Some readers condemned this as an unacceptable burden on ordinary citizens for the benefit of affluent business travelers. Public personalities including Alec Guinness, Pamela Hansford Johnson, and Baroness Snow voiced their apprehensions. In response to growing support, Richard Wiggs—a primary school teacher and conscientious objector from Letchworth, Hertfordshire—committed himself full-time to organizing the Anti-Concorde Project.

In a letter published in July 1967 in The Times, Wiggs set forth the objectives of the Anti-Concorde Project:

Anti-Concord Project

From Richard Wiggs

Sir,
Miss Pamela Hansford and Sir Alec Guinness (July 5 and 10), along with many others, have expressed concerns about supersonic aircraft development.

We regard this as a critical choice: should technological progress be responsibly managed or allowed to harm our environment?

Our immediate goal is to build sufficient public pressure within Britain to persuade the Government to halt Concorde's development and ultimately contribute toward an international ban on supersonic transports.

We welcome individuals who share this vision to join our cause.

Yours sincerely,
RICHARD WIGGS, Convener.

Methodology

When the Labour administration assumed power in October 1964 facing a £700 million deficit, high-cost "prestige projects" such as Concorde were at risk of termination. Early development cost projections in 1962 ranged between £150 and £170 million but escalated swiftly: reaching £280 million by that time, £500 million in 1966, £730 million by 1969, and £825 million in 1970, eventually surpassing £1 billion. Issues with financial oversight emerged; notably, the UK Treasury was excluded from both the Anglo-French agreement and the Concorde Finance Committee. On 19 November, the British government briefly declared Concorde’s cancellation but reversed this decision the following day due to commitments with France and concerns over widespread job losses.

Wiggs argued that a more influential advocacy group might have succeeded in halting the project. He raised awareness about environmental damage such as ozone layer depletion, sonic boom disturbances, airport noise pollution, excessive fuel usage, doubts regarding commercial viability, and potential taxpayer losses from research and development on what he described as an "elitist and inherently unsafe" mode of transport.

He corresponded with newspaper editors to challenge assertions made by the British Aircraft Corporation and government officials. When letters proved ineffective, Wiggs intensified his campaign by placing advertisements in national periodicals including New Scientist, New Society, New Statesman, followed by full-page adverts in prominent newspapers like The Guardian, The Times, and The Observer. These advertisements opposed supersonic transport and sought financial support for ongoing activism, often acknowledging donors by name.

Advisory Committee

After initiating correspondence with newspapers, Wiggs established the Anti-Concorde Project Advisory Committee, comprising distinguished scholars and specialists such as:

• Dr. John Adams, Professor of Geography at University College London and founding Board member of Friends of the Earth.
• Professor Gustav Victor Rudolf Born from the Department of Pharmacology at King's College London.
• Dr. Nelson F. Coghill of West Middlesex University Hospital.
• Mr. C. B. Edwards, Economics Lecturer at the University of East Anglia and author of Concorde – A Study In Cost Benefit Analysis.
• Dr. A. W. F. Edwards, Biometry Professor at the University of Cambridge.
• Professor Sir Nevill Mott, Head of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory.
• Dr. R. M. S. Perrin affiliated with the University of Cambridge.
• Dr. Jerome Ravetz, Professor specializing in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Leeds.
• Professor Horace E. Rose from Mechanical Engineering at King's College London.
• Dr. William Shurcliff, Physicist at Harvard University and Director of Citizens' League Against the Sonic Boom.
• Professor Cedric A. B. Smith, Biometry Professor at University College London's Galton Laboratory.
• Dr. Peter J. Smith, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University.
• Mary Stocks, Baroness Stocks, author.
• Professors William Homan Thorpe and Nobel Laureate Nikolaas Tinbergen, ethologists based at Cambridge and Oxford respectively.
• Professor Bo Lundberg, Director of Sweden’s Aeronautical Research Institute.
• Mr. Nigel Haigh, who later became London director of the Institute for European Environmental Policy.

Sonic Boom

A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft surpasses the speed of sound, generating powerful shockwaves that can extend up to 25 miles from its trajectory. These intense pressure waves have the capacity to cause both structural harm and significant disturbance.

During the 1960s, supersonic flights were trialed above multiple US urban areas. In 1967 alone, residents lodged damage claims worth millions, attributing their losses to sonic booms produced by military jets.

In July 1967, the UK Ministry of Technology carried out supersonic test flights over southern England using English Electric Lightning fighters. The public response was predominantly unfavorable, with thousands of complaints officially recorded.

Noise Complaints at Airports

The Anti-Concorde Project highlighted that Concorde’s delta wing configuration demanded more engine power during takeoff and landing phases, resulting in louder noise levels compared to traditional aircraft.

Data from the British Civil Aviation Authority in 1977 verified that Concorde emitted more noise than older long-haul jets during both departures and arrivals.

Measurements taken at Dallas-Fort Worth and Dulles airports in the United States revealed that Concorde’s takeoff noise exceeded that of contemporary commercial airplanes by more than 10 decibels.

Global Resistance

By the end of 1969, the British Aircraft Corporation had dismissed worries regarding sonic booms impacting public acceptance of supersonic travel.

Following advocacy by groups such as the Anti-Concorde Project in both the UK and US—led by figures including Harvard’s John J. Edsell and physicist William Shurcliff—the Citizens' League Against the Sonic Boom was established in 1967.

In December 1970, the US Senate enacted a ban on commercial supersonic flights over land and introduced restrictions on airport noise levels.

Several European nations, including Sweden, Norway, West Germany, and Switzerland, opposed supersonic overflights. Canada implemented a complete ban, while Ireland prepared legislation against such flights.

As a result, upon entering service in 1976, Concorde’s commercial routes were confined to sparsely inhabited areas or oceanic paths such as London–Bahrain, Paris–Rio de Janeiro, and Paris–Caracas.

Although federal prohibitions were later lifted in the US permitting Concorde to operate into Washington Dulles and JFK airports, local resistance delayed its operations at JFK until a Supreme Court decision was rendered.

In 1977 Concorde briefly flew London–Singapore routes; however, Malaysia withdrew overflight permissions amid political disputes, and India also denied access to its airspace due to diplomatic issues.

Archival Materials

The Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick preserves documents from the Anti-Concorde Project, including promotional materials and committee records spanning 1967 to 1981.

The 2003 BBC2 documentary Concorde – A Love Story, which aired in the United States as PBS Nova's Supersonic Dream, showcases archival footage alongside interviews documenting Richard Wiggs’ campaign opposing Concorde.

Sources

• Wiggs, Richard (1970). Concorde: The Case Against Supersonic Transport, Ballantine Books/Friends of the Earth.
• Wilson, Andrew (1973). The Concorde Fiasco, Penguin Books.

Further reading

• Nevill Mott, A Life In Science, CRC Press (1995).
• Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science Inc., Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, April 1972.

External links

• Civil Supersonics: Excessive Urgency?: Advocating a More Measured Perspective – Lundberg’s article in Flight 1961
• Archive Index of Anti-Concorde Project records at University of Warwick
• Obituary of Richard Wiggs – The Telegraph
• NOVA Documentary: Supersonic Dream & Full Transcript
• Singapore Concorde Operations
• Timeline of Concorde SST – 1960s
• Civil Aviation Authority Report 77007 – Noise Measurements from Initial Year of Scheduled Concorde Flights