Chinese lantern 'almost hit passenger plane'

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, A Chinese lantern almost hit a passenger plane travelling at 20,000ft over Cambridgeshire

A plane travelling at 20,000ft almost collided with a Chinese lantern, a report has revealed.

The Loganair flight which was travelling from the Isle of Man to London City Airport came within 100ft of the lantern on 30 July.

Crew members on the plane, which was carrying 50 passengers, spotted the lantern over Duxford, Cambridgeshire.

The UK Airprox Board, which investigates near-misses, said it was down to "providence" no one was hurt.

The pilot of the Saab 2000 aircraft, which was being operated on behalf of British Airways, contacted air traffic controllers to report the lantern passing the plane at about 16:30 BST.

Airprox board members later rated the incident as Category A, meaning a "serious risk of collision existed".

In recent years, there have been numerous calls to ban Chinese lanterns over concerns that they are a fire risk and a pose a threat to wildlife and livestock.