Jet 'flew over' military exercise

The plane was en route from Amsterdam to Bristol

An investigation has begun into how a passenger plane was directed over an army range during a heavy artillery exercise.

A Fokker 70 aircraft with 35 passengers on board was under the direction of staff at the £623m air traffic control centre when it flew over Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.

The KLM-owned plane, flying from Amsterdam to Bristol, emerged safely after a ceasefire was ordered.

The National Air Traffic Services (Nats) is now preparing a report on the incident, on 19 June, for the Civil Aviation Authority.

The incident happened two days after a trainee controller error followed by an equipment failure at the Nats' centre in Hampshire led to a "near miss" the collision of two Heathrow-bound British Airways Boeing jets.

A Nats spokesman said: "If any aircraft does get close to an army range, the army has radar to spot it and immediately instigate a ceasefire.

"Safety was not compromised. We shall file a report with the CAA who may choose to investigate further."