British Airways halts Concorde flights following Air France crash

British Airways has taken the “unprecedented step” of canceling two Concorde flights between New York and London and is waiting to decide on further flights in the wake of the Air France Concorde crash.

Any decision by Air France concerning its five other Concorde planes is not expected until an inquiry into the disaster has taken place.

ALSO Concorde crashes near Paris; 113 dead

A British Airways spokesman said the 14:00 EDT (18:00 GMT) BA 003 flight from Heathrow, London, to JFK, New York, had been cancelled as well as the BA004 flight in the opposite direction, 13:45 EDT (17.45 GMT).

A question mark also hangs over Wednesday’s Concorde flights from Heathrow as technical experts from British Airways and Air France investigate possible causes of the disaster in which 113 people died.

Air accident investigators from Britain's Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions are on their way to assist their French counterparts.

British Airways said in a statement it had taken the “unprecedented step” of canceling flights while it waits for further information, but insisted it still has “complete confidence” in Concorde.

A spokesman for the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, which has jurisdiction over the Concorde aircraft operated by British Airways, said there was “no reason” to ground BA's supersonic fleet.

He said: “There is no indication as yet to the cause of the crash in Paris. There is nothing we can do until the French authorities come up with their preliminary findings into the crash.”

Under international aviation law, domestic aviation authorities do not have jurisdiction over foreign aircraft.

Rolls Royce, builder of the engines for Concorde airliners, would not comment on speculation that witnesses had seen fire trailing from the aircraft's left engine as it departed Paris for its transatlantic flight.

Share prices in Air France fell following news of the crash, closing 3.5 per cent lower.

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