A TERRIFIED passenger has spoken of the moment when the aircraft he was flying in had to suddenly climb 10,000ft to avoid hitting another jet.

Shaun Robinson, from Rising Bridge, had been travelling from Manchester to Paris on a business trip when the Airbus A320 had to make the emergency manoeuvre at 33,000ft after getting too close to another plane.

Mr Robinson, who is a seasoned traveller and runs a website called holidayinsiders.com, believes that the pilot had been "showing off’’ to a boy who had been invited into the cockpit – despite the seat belt signs being turned on.

The 40-year-old said: "The door was open and we could see inside the cockpit.

"Suddenly the pilot made a sharp turn to the left, without warning, and then back again, obviously showing the young French boy how he flew his plane.

"Gasps could be heard throughout the rest of the cabin. The pilot was clearly showing off to this young boy."

He added: "Moments later the pilot threw his plane into a steep climb. We could hear alarms sounding and we were thrown back into our seats.

"People around us were blessing themselves and you could see fear in their faces. Some people only travel once in their lifetime.

"After climbing rapidly the pilot told us he was far too close to the plane in front and air traffic control urgently asked him to climb again."

The drama happened as the Airbus, which was carrying 143 passengers and six crew, was making its descent into Charles De Gaulle airport last Saturday morning.

It arrived 20 minutes late.

Mr Robinson said: "When I spoke to other passengers afterwards as we were collecting our bags they all thought the pilot had been showing off and that he had to climb because he had taken his eye off the ball.

"It was terrifying. We had to circle Paris before we could come in to land.

"The young boy shouldn’t have been allowed into the cockpit in the first place. It was reckless. He had put lives at risk. The pilot shouldn’t have done it."

He added: "When we arrived at the airport and complained to Air France staff they just brushed us off."

Allowing passengers to enter the cockpit of a plane is now prohibited following the terrorist attacks in America on 11 September 2001.

Air France has now launched an investigation into the matter. A spokeswoman said: "Air France takes these allegations extremely seriously. We are investigating."