I recall that while the Concorde was in Manila its sales team were persuaded to fly the President’s wife Imelda Marcos up to Hong Kong. This was a day earlier than Concorde’s scheduled visit. She duly arrived at short notice at Kai Tak airport which must have given the HK government’s protocol staff near heart-attacks.
From recollection she and her entourage had either lunch or afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel followed by a bit of essential and no doubt expensive shopping before returning to Manila. There are newsprint photographs of Imelda regally descending the air-stairs placed by the Concorde at Kai Tak.
Concorde returned the following day on its sales tour schedule when I photographed it. Who they were trying to sell to in Hong Kong, I have no idea, as Cathay Pacific was a small regional airline at that time. Perhaps they want to prove to BOAC/BA that it could be landed safely at Kai Tak as there was planning for a four times a week service. Also the Chinese government had expressed an interest in purchasing a number of these aircraft.
Sadly, the flying career of this particular Concorde came to an abrupt end on July 25, 2000 when it spectacularly crashed on take-off from Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris with the loss of life of everyone on board.