An Air France Aerospatiale/British Aerospace Concorde (F-BVFA) lost part of one of its two rudder sections on 27 February during a flight from Paris to New York. The aircraft landed "safely and on time", says the airline. Similar events have occurred to BA's relatively higher-cycle Concordes four times, and the airline says that it is believed to have started with a weakening of the bonding between the rudder's metal skin and its honeycomb core. Meanwhile, British Airways is denying speculation in the UK media that its Concorde services have been given a finite date for termination. BA says that although future Concorde operations remain under review, reductions in flightcrew numbers which prompted the retirement rumours result from its reduced schedule due to continued depressed demand.
Source: Flight International
