THE supersonic splendour of Concorde could soon be coming to York, it was revealed today.

Bosses at the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, say they approached British Airways some time ago about acquiring the famous aircraft, which is being decommissioned.

But museum spokesman Ian Richardson said it was still "very early days".

"We made representations to British Airways some time ago about getting one but we haven't heard anything back yet," he said.

"It would be a major asset to the museum.

"Our runway is certainly long enough to accommodate it. It would be purely for display purposes."

It is believed the museum could be the only one in the country capable of accommodating the aircraft because of its runway.

British Airways and Air France announced earlier this month that Concorde would be permanently grounded after nearly 30 years of supersonic travel.

The companies have blamed commercial pressures, with passenger numbers falling to recover from the Paris crash which killed 113 people in 2000.

It is speculated that the famous aircraft will be "retired" following the end of BA's summer timetable at the end of October. Air France flights are set to end in May.

Concorde was a regular visitor to Leeds/Bradford airport in the eighties and nineties, attracting huge crowds whenever it touched down

It first arrived in the region in August 1986 when 70,000 people turned out to catch a glimpse of the giant jet.

Concorde was developed in a joint British-French project in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Evening Press recently revealed ambitious plans to introduce "air taxis" to the Elvington site.

Elvington Park Ltd company secretary Chris Hudson said it hoped to let business people fly in from foreign and domestic airports to get quicker access to companies in the city.

Updated: 11:15 Tuesday, April 22, 2003