Concorde Makes Emergency Landing

July 31 -- British Airways says it will continue regular Concorde service, even after one of its supersonic jets was forced to make an emergency landing.

The jet, en route to New York from London, made an emergency landing Sunday night in eastern Canada after a crew member smelled gasoline in the cabin. No one was injured, but the incident — just days after an Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris, killing 113 — left the jet’s 57 passengers shaken.

“When you have an accident like that a few days ago, you’re a bit nervous because you know it just happened. And I think a lot of people were just thinking about that,” passenger Jean De Yturb said.

Passenger Jim O’Shaughnessy said the British Airways Concorde was about two hours into its trans-Atlantic crossing when passengers noticed a rapid decline in speed.

“The captain came on and said due to an odd odor in the back he was electing to put safety first and make an emergency landing in Newfoundland,” O’Shaughnessy said. “We thought that he was acting prudently, he was doing the right thing.”

BA Stands Behind Service

British Airways briefly halted its Concorde service after the Air France crash, but resumed it on Wednesday. Despite Sunday’s emergency landing, and two other incidents over the weekend, the airline said it did not plan to disrupt its scheduled Concorde service.

“We wouldn’t be flying unless we thought it was safe,” British Airways spokeswoman Jemma Moore in London said.

Air France’s fleet of Concordes is still grounded after Tuesday’s crash. Experts met today to discuss new safety measures for the supersonic jet; the outcome of that meeting is expected to be announced tomorrow.

France’s transport minister has called the session aiming for an eventual resumption of French Concorde flights.

One official tells a French newspaper those flights could resume as early as this week after officials consider new safety measures and checks for the aircraft.