Concorde returns to service today

Associated Press

PARIS — When the Concorde takes off from Paris today on its first passenger flight in more than 15 months, it will mark the rebirth of the world’s highest-profile commercial aircraft — and a small triumph for an industry deeply wounded by the events of Sept. 11.

After months of redesigning and test flights, engineers say they have fixed the flaws that led to the fiery crash of July 25, 2000. The flight path has been changed to avoid the town of Gonesse, where the supersonic jet plunged to the earth, killing 113 people.

Air France will be the first to fly its newly remodeled Concorde, on a sold-out Paris-New York flight leaving at 10:30 a.m. An hour later, British Airways will operate an invitation-only flight from London; its fare-paying flights to New York resume Friday.

In a third Concorde flight on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair will take a special plane to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Bush.

The new Concorde has been fitted with fuel-tank liners of bulletproof Kevlar, a flameproof reinforced undercarriage and newly designed, extra-resistant radial tires.

But as important as the engineering changes, aviation analysts say, is the symbolism of the Concorde, the world’s only supersonic jetliner, reclaiming the skies.

"One of the icons of the civil aviation industry is returning," said Chris Yates, aviation safety editor at Jane’s Transport in London. "It’s the shot in the arm that the industry needs."

It’s also a boon for the executives and the rich and famous for whom time is more important than money. A round-trip Paris-New York ticket costs $7,300, while a London-New York round trip runs $10,000.

"It’s all about time," said Eric Pelletier, vice president for Booz Allen Hamilton in Paris, who has flown the Concorde 40 times and once traveled Paris-New York round trip in one day to sign a contract. "It’s not something you do because it’s enjoyable."

Flying above turbulence at twice the speed of sound, the delta-winged aircraft crosses the Atlantic in about 3 1/2hours — half the flying time of conventional jets.

Despite a 30 percent drop in trans-Atlantic travel since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the airlines say they are confident of filling the 100-seat planes. British Airways says it has already sold 7,000 seats.

However, service is being scaled back from what it was before the crash. Air France will run five round-trip flights per week and British Airways will run six, about half the previous schedule.