PREMIUM --

A British Airways Concorde leaves Cardiff International Airport, Thursday September 18, 2003. It was forced to divert from London Heathrow at about 6.35pm last night. British Airways said the plane was hit by an 'engine surge' - like a car backfiring - when it was three-quarters of the way through the flight from JFK airport in New York and travelling at a supersonic speed of 1,300mph over the Atlantic Ocean. None of the supersonic jet’s 99 passengers and six crew were injured, the airline said. A BA spokesman said: "It was not an emergency landing and the safety of the passengers or crew were not compromised. We apologise to our customers." See PA story AIR Concorde. PA Photo: Barry Batchelor