Concorde today took to the air for the first time since last summer - but only for a flight to a base where checks on the ground will take place.
The crew-only flight of an Air France Concorde was from Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport to a military aviation base at Istres, near Marseille in southern France.
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Concorde: The plane has had its first flight since the crash last summer
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At the base, engineers will be simulating fuel leaks on the underside of one of the wings of the supersonic aircraft as part of the work needed to get the plane back into passenger service.
A devastating fire triggered by a gashed tyre caused an Air France Concorde to crash near Paris on July 25 last year. All 109 people on board and four on the ground were killed in the disaster.
No Air France Concorde has flown since the accident and British Airways' seven-strong Concorde fleet has been grounded since mid-August.
The ground work at Istres complements the tests being carried out on BA Concordes at Heathrow airport in west London.
This week BA started fitting bullet-proof liners to the fuel tanks of its Concordes.
Within eight to 10 weeks it is hoped that a BA Concorde will be able to be flown on a test flight with the aim of returning both BA's and Air France's fleet to passenger service by the spring.
PA