BRITISH tourists feared their holiday jet would be blown out of the sky when a French warplane sped towards them.
The Boeing 737-300 was flying over France at 30,000ft from Malaga in Spain to Stansted in Essex when the Mirage fighter jet approached.
It hovered just 100ft from the edge of the Boeing's wingtip, ready to shoot down the passenger plane amid fears it had been hijacked.
The drama began when the British plane, carrying 126 people, temporarily lost contact with air traffic controllers and the Mirage was scrambled.
It's claimed French authorities had been tipped off about a possible hijack involving the British budget airline Go.
Passenger Rene Dobbs, 47, from Margate, Kent, took a picture of the Mirage, which was armed with missiles.
He said: "People were crying and swearing, trying to work out what was going on.
"Some of them thought we were going to be shot down. No one could believe what was happening."
The fighter jet was called off when radio contact was made again and the plane was able to continue its flight as normal.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article