France to Begin Testing Grounded Concordes

Tests on France’s grounded fleet of supersonic Concordes will be carried out this month, and the luxury jets could very likely fly again sometime this year, the country’s transportation minister said. The fleet of 12 supersonic jets has been grounded since a blazing Air France Concorde smashed into a hotel minutes after taking off from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport last July. All 109 people on board and four on the ground were killed. Jean-Claude Gayssot, the transportation minister, said ground tests would be carried out in France this week, and flight tests will be done in Britain. Gayssot said he would wait for the results of the tests before making a decision on whether to renew the jets’ airworthiness certificate, which he suspended after the crash.