Nato fighter jets intercept a British Airways flight from Cyprus amid a probe into whether its pilots DOZED OFF

The captain and first officer of Flight BA899 from Cyprus to London went unresponsive on both the primary and backup radio frequencies for roughly thirty minutes. German Eurofighter Typhoons were scrambled amid fears of a terror incident. One of the jets pulled alongside to inspect the cockpit and found 'no terrorism'. When contact was eventually re-established, the crew were reportedly 'pretty embarrassed'.

The pilots requested that the jets hold back rather than fly alongside, so as not to alarm passengers.

The Typhoons accompanied the British Airways aircraft as far as the German border.

Both pilots remain with the airline, which maintains 'all of the procedures' were followed.