The acting head of the French air force is in the line of fire for allegedly borrowing a fighter jet at weekends to fly from his base in Bordeaux to his home in Provence.

General Richard Reboul reportedly used an Alpha Jet at least 10 times since last August but last weekend changed his mode of transport to a six-seater military plane, complete with pilot and a co-pilot, to head to his weekend retreat.

The allegations were the first hint of scandal to hit France’s new Defence Minister Florence Parly, who on Tuesday night ordered an investigation after the satirical weekly Le Canard Enchainé broke the story.