Chirac 'extended flight to sleep'

Refreshed and well-rested? Chirac on arrival at the Black Sea resort

Nothing is as vital as a good night's sleep.

To ensure his slumber was uninterrupted, it's reported that French President Jacques Chirac recently made his plane take a lengthy detour.

En route to see Russian leader Vladimir Putin, he was airborne for almost twice as long as strictly necessary to fly from Paris to Black Sea resort Sochi.

The overnight flight was diverted by 1,250 miles (2012km) according to France's Le Canard Enchaine.

"Anyone who has travelled between Paris and Sochi will tell you that the flight takes three hours and 40 minutes, perhaps 10 minutes more if the wine is good," reporter Henri Martin told BBC News Online.

"This trip took about six hours - how do you explain the difference?"

The reason, according to the publication, is that the plane undertook a veritable "tour de force" across France before heading towards its Russian destination.

First it flew westwards towards the Channel Island of Jersey, then it turned south towards Bordeaux, flew over Toulouse and the Pyrenees and then north back to Paris before finally beginning its course towards Russia.

Having left Paris at 23:15 the night before, Mr Chirac arrived refreshed and relaxed at Sochi at 05:20 the next morning, in time for breakfast.

The weekly described its "solid" source for the tale as "someone who works within aviation".

No confirmation of the details of the flight was immediately available from Mr Chirac's office.