Concorde in forced landing

Concorde is retiring this year

A Concorde jet has been forced to land in Cardiff because of engine problems.

The British Airways flight, travelling from New York's JFK airport to Heathrow, landed at Cardiff International Airport at 1845 BST on Wednesday.

An airport spokeswoman said all 99 passengers got off the plane and were taken to Heathrow by bus.

Engineers from a south Wales repair facility travelled to inspect the jet, which is expected to leave on Thursday morning.

A BA spokesman added there had been no danger to passengers or crew, and apologised for any inconvenience.

"Concorde flight BA002 was diverted into Cardiff as a temporary precaution following an engine surge in one of its four engines during the flight," he said.

"The aircraft had to fly subsonic for part of the journey, and used more fuel. As a result it had to land at Cardiff."

Engineers from General Electric Aircraft Engine Servicing, an American-owned repair facility at Nantgarw Caerphilly which regularly services Concorde engines, were called to inspect the plane.

An airport spokesman said the landing did not disrupt any of the regular traffic in and out of Cardiff Airport.

Concorde has landed at Cardiff on at least six occasions and is due to visit again on 23 October during a farewell tour before being retired.

Fatal crash

Concorde flights are ending next month after more than three decades of luxury travel.

Earlier this year, British Airways and Air France made simultaneous announcements that they would be permanently grounding the famous supersonic airliners.

Passenger numbers have never recovered since an Air France Concorde crashed on take-off from Paris in July 2000, killing 113 people.

Air France retired its fleet in May and in June donated the oldest of its five Concorde aircraft to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in the US.

But BA has announced it is now considering a plan for some of its five operational planes - the oldest was built in 1976 - to perform at air shows on fly-pasts.