Europe's press questions Concorde's future

Shocking images and headlines dominated Wednesday's European papers

LONDON (CNN) -- Europe's press is asking whether the crash signals the end of Concorde's 30-year reign as the world's only supersonic passenger jet.

The French daily Le Figaro says: "The Concorde without a doubt died yesterday."

Liberation newspaper says: "It's the crash of a symbol. That of Franco-British high technology of the end of the 1960s, fueled by the ambition of General de Gaulle, an engineer's dream for a prosperous and futuristic society."

France's Le Monde newspaper describes the horror of the crash scene: "Corpses in their dozens, scattered amongst the black and smoking debris of Concorde, here and there a piece of fuselage and parts of the undercarriage is all that remained of the supersonic plane and its occupants at the end of the afternoon on Tuesday at Gonesse."

An editorial in Germany's Die Welt newspaper says: "The catastrophe in Paris is not like the end of the Titanic ... The plane had flown nearly a quarter of a century and millions of kilometers without a serious accident."

"A dream trip to death" is the headline in Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper.

Germany's B.Z. newspaper says: "The myth has been destroyed, a hubris. The dream of wealthy brides, of lottery winners, the Titanic of the Air has dragged them all to death."

An editorial in Spain's El Pais newspaper says it is too soon to jump to conclusions about what happened, but not too soon to be cautious about what, it says, was until yesterday the safest form of transport in the world.

Italy's La Repubblica quotes an eyewitness who described the crash as "an explosion like a small atomic bomb."

The paper calls the tragedy a collision between the "Titanic of the skies" and its "iceberg", noting that the nightmare lasted just two minutes, not even time for the passengers to "uncork the champagne or tuck into the caviar."

Most British papers show the dramatic picture of the Air France Concorde's last moments captured by a holidaying Hungarian plane spotter. "Seconds from disaster," says The Guardian. "DOOMED" is the single word on the front pages of The Express, the Sun and the Daily Star.

Britain's Daily Mail asks in a headline: "Can a jet that is 31 years old really be safe?"

The paper says: "Last night, British Airways and Air France were faced with one simple question from worried passengers: Just how safe is it to travel in a supersonic jet which first flew 31 years ago?"

The Mail said it was certain that British Airways and Air France would do everything they could to keep their fleets in the air and to persuade the customers they are safe.

"The transatlantic service is a major cash producer for the struggling British carrier. At times, Concorde has provided up to 20 percent of BA's profits. In the long run, however, it may be doomed by market forces.

"Tellingly, no other aircraft builder -- apart from a short-lived Russian effort -- ever sought to follow the Anglo-French partnership. Since then, the invention of the fax and the e-mail have vastly reduced the need for quick dashes across the Atlantic."

The London Times newspaper says that Concorde's record has been exceptionally free of accidents. But although the CAA insists that Concorde meets all its stringent airworthiness regulations, the aircraft has not been trouble-free.

"According to British Airways documents, between August 1998 and July 1999, 130 incidents were reported, ranging from problems with hydraulics and engines to warnings of smoke in the air-conditioning system."

The Times says there is no reason to conclude from the "terrible drama" of Concorde's first fatal accident the world's only supersonic aircraft has inevitably reached the end of its flying life.

"Concorde was designed to last 15 years. After this tragedy, the question whether it has exceeded its life span cannot fail to be asked; if it is to continue in service, the answer must be totally convincing."

Edinburgh's Scotsman says that somewhere underneath a 1,000 ft high pall of burning aviation fuel on the northern edge of Paris "lie the charred embers of a myth, the myth of effortless supersonic air travel."

"Concorde was built by clever men and women. It is flown by dedicated men and women. It will still excite us as it flies overhead. But now we may have some doubts.

"There will be no son of Concorde."

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Le Monde, France
Liberation, France
Die Welt, Germany
La Repubblica, Italy
The Times, London

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