§ Mr. Biffenasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the passenger-mile fuel consumption of the Concorde relative to that of the current range of subsonic jet aircraft; and what is the expected impact on sales of Concorde of recent increases in fuel prices.
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§ Mr. OnslowConcorde's estimated fuel consumption per seat-mile is 0.45 lb compared with 0.15–0.25 lb. for current subsonic civil jet aircraft. The manufacturers do not consider that the recent fuel price increases will have any material effect on Concorde sales.
§ Mr. Bishopasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received a report regarding the recent tour of the United States by Concorde; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. OnslowBetween 18th and 26th September Concorde visited Caracas, the new Dallas/Fort Worth airport, and Washington. Concorde was received enthusiastically by the public and airport authorities concerned, and leading members of the United States Administration expressed their favourable impression of the aircraft's environmental acceptability. The return flight from Washington to Paris in 3 hours 33 minutes demonstrated the time-saving that Concorde will offer to the public. I am sure the House will join me in extending my congratulations to all those who contributed to this successful and historic visit.