Aircraft
Concorde’s return to service is imminent
British Airways (BA) flew a modified Concorde to Shannon, Ireland, on August 7 before conducting refresher crew-training operations last month.

British Airways (BA) flew a modified Concorde to Shannon, Ireland, on August 7 before conducting refresher crew-training operations last month. As many as 35 takeoffs and landings were to be flown as the airline prepared for a possible resumption of scheduled services, perhaps before next month.

BA and Air France are hoping that British and French regulators soon will re-issue the supersonic airliner’s certificate of airworthiness, which was withdrawn following the loss of an Air France Concorde shortly after taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport on July 25 last year. All 109 passengers and crew and four people on the ground died in the accident. European manufacturer EADS, the design authority for Concorde, was expected to submit a formal application at press time for the grounding to be rescinded.