Air France carries out first Concorde test flight

Air France has carried out the first of a series of test flights on one of its overhauled Concordes.

Air France has carried out the first of a series of test flights on one of its overhauled Concordes.

The plane was awarded its certificate of airworthiness following changes to the plane's structure.

The jets have been grounded since the crash in July 2000 of an Air France Concorde near Paris which killed 113 people

The flight lasted two and a half hours, with most of the test carried out in subsonic conditions.

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Air France says these tests are required before resumption of commercial flights can begin.

The same Concorde will undergo a second test flight in the next few days to check the plane's systems under supersonic conditions.

The remaining Air France Concordes will undergo similar technical checks once they have been modified to meet the new airworthiness conditions.

The French test flight comes as British Airways puts the finishing touches to its £1 million marketing campaign aimed at winning back its regular Concorde users.

The airline still refuses to confirm when it will resume daily services to New York, but its latest target date is understood to be the last week of September.

In January, an Air France Concorde flew from Charles de Gaulle airport to a military base in southern France for tests.

It was the supersonic airliner's first flight since the crash.