A BRITISH AIRWAYS plane flew by mistake from London to Edinburgh instead of Düsseldorf in Germany today.

Passengers only found out about the mishap when the pilot said the plane was coming in to land in Edinburgh, which is around 800 kilometres from Düsseldorf.

After the crew realised the mistake, the plane was refuelled and flown to Düsseldorf, landing in Germany with a delay of more than three and a half hours.

The airline said today the problem started when an incorrect flight plan was filed by WDL Aviation, which operated the flight on behalf of British Airways.

Officials say the pilot followed the flight plan for Edinburgh, and that air traffic control officials also were following the same flight plan and saw nothing amiss.

WDL aviation said it was trying to determine the cause of the “obviously unfortunate mix-up.”

“We are working with WDL Aviation, who operated this flight on behalf of British Airways, to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed,” a spokesman said.

Twitter user Son Tran, who said he was on the plane, said: “While an interesting concept, I don’t think anyone on board has signed up for this mystery travel lottery”.

Another passenger, Sophie Cooke, told the BBC that the wait in Edinburgh “became very frustrating”.

“The toilets were blocked and they ran out of snacks. It was also really stuffy,” Cooke said.

- © AFP 2019 with reporting by Associated Press