Several Cathay crew and executives were on board

Captain Ian Wilkinson flew the Cathay Pacific plane within 28 feet of the ground with its undercarriage raised, at Boeing's Seattle airfield.

The aircraft was on its delivery flight and packed with the airline's VIPs.

The airline said Capt Wilkinson, 55, had not sought or obtained permission for the fly-by on January 30, and had been dismissed.

The co-pilot, Ray Middleton, has also been "subject to disciplinary actions" - understood to be suspension from training duties for six months.

Internet interest

Pictures of the huge aircraft flying just feet from the ground were posted on websites including YouTube.

There were 69 people on board, including Cathay's UK chairman Chris Pratt.

The airline said: "We can confirm a fly-by event involving the delivery flight of a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft departing from the manufacturer's plant in Seattle on January 30, 2008.

"The airline is conducting an internal investigation into the incident, including the collection of flight data, and interviews with the crew involved."

It had issued a notice to all cockpit crew reminding them of the company's "well-established" approval policy for conducting fly-bys.