two tourist planes, lost in mid-flight, rescued by the Air Force

This Sunday, around noon, the Air Force intervened near Paris to come to the aid of two tourist planes, lost in mid-flight.

A major intervention. Two tourist planes were rescued by three military aircraft, deployed by the Air Force this Sunday.

“This midday, the Air and Space Force triggered its aerial alert means (permanent security posture) to come to the aid of two tourist planes coming from Pontarlier and bound for Reims,” wrote the Air and Space Force on its Linkedin account.

The two aircraft, piloted by two young men, were “victims of bad weather conditions” and were therefore “lost north of Paris”.

According to the army, the two pilots were not “instrument qualified”, a qualification which allows them to fly even in bad weather conditions.

Three military aircraft deployed

Thus, around midday this Sunday, the Air Force “triggered its aerial alert means” to come to the aid of the two aircraft. In order to accompany them to a passable landing strip, “the fighter and helicopter crews coordinated to join the aircraft, in climatic conditions offering little visibility”.

Three military aircraft were therefore deployed: a Rafale B from Saint-Dizier, in Haute-Marne, a Mirage 2000-5 from Évreux, in Eure, and a Fennec helicopter from the Villacoublay base, in Yvelines. The latter was notably used to “identify more easily the most suitable diversion area”.

The intervention lasted about an hour and the two tourist planes were finally able to land at the Beauvais aerodrome (Oise).

“The Air and Space Force permanently ensures the protection of French airspace,” finally recalled one of the four components of the French Armed Forces.