STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: The Concorde is inching closer to a return to the skies. The world's only supersonic passenger jet fleet was grounded following the deadly crash last year of one Air France Concorde near Paris. CNN's Gordon Robertson (ph) reports.</s>GORDON ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Air France Concorde returning to Paris from the military base near Marseille; British and French airline officials hope two weeks of high-speed ground tests have brought the Concorde a step closer to re-entering the commercial air market. A spokesman for the plane's manufacturer, EADS Airbus, says the most recent test went off without problems, and adds that initial results appear to be very positive. The tests simulated fuel leaks. Investigators believe July's crash was caused when a piece of metal on the runway punctured a tire. Debris from the tire, in turn, hit the plane's fuel tanks, triggering a leak and setting off a chain reaction. British Airways says it will refit one of its Concorde's with a bulletproof fuel tank liner. But the supersonic planes still have a long way to go before they can carry passengers again. The planes were withdrawn from service after last July's Crash at Paris' Charles De Gaul Airport, and British and French officials have been testing them ever since. British Airways says it hopes the Concordes can carry passengers again in a few months' time. Air France officials have been reluctant to set a timetable for renewing passenger service. Gordon Robertson, CNN.
Concorde Fleet Inches Toward Return to Commercial Use