Passenger donates Concorde mementoes from first BA flight to museum

Anthony Hopkins has donated personal items from the first British Airways Concorde commercial flight (21 January 1976) to the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune. The archive includes boarding passes, luggage tags, promotional material and an in‑flight menu signed by many passengers.

A former passenger from the inaugural British Airways Concorde service has given a personal archive of memorabilia to the museum that now houses the aircraft. Anthony Hopkins was aboard the BA Concorde that flew from London to Bahrain on 21 January 1976 and kept dozens of items from the journey. He brought the collection with him while visiting the National Museum of Flight and offered it to the museum staff. The donation was announced on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the BA Concorde inaugural flight. Key details: - Donor: Anthony Hopkins, a passenger on the first BA Concorde commercial flight on 21 January 1976 from London to Bahrain. - Items donated: boarding passes, luggage tags, promotional material, the onboard safety card and an in‑flight menu signed by many passengers, including broadcaster Peter Sissons. - Museum: National Museum of Flight at East Fortune Airfield, where British Airways Concorde G‑BOAA has been displayed since April 2004. - Museum response: Ian Brown, assistant curator of aviation, described the archive as an "absolutely unique" addition that brings personal stories to the aircraft on display. - Context: National Museums Scotland announced the donation ahead of the 50th anniversary; Concorde services were grounded in 2000 after a crash and British Airways retired its Concorde fleet in 2003. Summary: The donated items add personal context to the museum's Concorde exhibit and help illustrate the passenger experience aboard the inaugural BA flight; Undetermined at this time.