A French fighter jet intercepted a Brussels Airlines flight after contact with the cockpit was suddenly broken. The incident was in June, but has only now become known.

The Airbus A319 Brussels Airlines flight was bringing holiday-goers from Lanzarote to Brussels Airport in late June. While the plane was flying over France, air traffic control lost contact with the pilots. The French Air Force was mobilised, and took the flight under its wing to a safe landing.

The pilot of the Brussels Airlines flight was apparently sleeping, and the co-pilot reported that he did not respond to the calls from air traffic control because he believed they were trying to reach another flight.

According to Brussels Airlines, the unit landed safely and the incident was evaluated shortly thereafter.