Concorde's transatlantic return due to boost morale in airline industry

Concorde is due to give the beleaguered airline industry an important boost today by making its first full transatlantic test flight since the British and French fleets were grounded in August last year.

The 10.30am British Airways flight from London Heathrow, carrying 92 BA engineers and 12 crew, is scheduled to land at John F Kennedy airport at 9.25am New York time.

Unlike the previous generation of Concordes, the model touching down in New York has been fitted with fuel tanks lined with bulletproof Kevlar, tougher Michelin tyres and strengthened undercarriage wiring. The modifications, which have been tested on a series of shorter flights, were ordered by the Civil Aviation Authority after the Air France disaster near Paris in which 113 people died 15 months ago.

Previous test flights have returned to Britain after going half-way to New York. Today's journey by BA's Alpha Echo Concorde paved the way for the resumption of commercial flights on 7 November, a BA spokeswoman said. "The technical tests are all complete and this is the equivalent of a dress rehearsal. It is also a way of saying thank you to the many engineers who have worked on the modifications." The passengers would disembark and clear customs at JFK before flying back to London the same day to test ground and security procedures, she added.

Keith Betton, spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents, said the flight,being piloted by Captain Les Brodie, would provide a much-needed morale boost to an industry estimated to have lost £4.75bn this year. "Getting Concorde back in the air and across the Atlantic will help to restore the right attitude to travel. Hopefully Concorde's return to the skies will stimulate people to travel and help to restore confidence."

Last week Rudolph Giuliani, Mayor of New York, said he believed Concorde's return was "symbolic of how New Yorkers feel about rebuilding New York".

After the first commercial flight, which is by invitation only, BA will operate one Concorde return flight to New York a day, six days a week. There are already more than 3,000 bookings. The number of flights will increase after all seven BA Concordes are modified.

In the July 2000 crash, a metal object on the runway at Charles de Gaulle airport caused a tyre to burst. Metal tyre fragments then penetrated the fuel tank, leading to a fire that caused the aircraft to crash next to a hotel at nearby Gonesse, killing all 109 passengers and crew and four people on the ground.