A Dundee man has spoken of his terror at being caught up in a mid-air incident on board a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Lahore to Manchester on Friday.
Father-of-six Fakhar Iqbal, 47, was sitting directly in front of a man who was later charged with endangering an aircraft.
Two British nationals will appear in court today.
Mr Iqbal, who owns Hajveri Cash and Carry in Dundee, said: “There were lots of women and children on board and people were very scared. People were really worried that something awful might happen.”
The businessman was returning to the UK after spending several weeks working on his brother’s election campaign in Pakistan.
His flight was dramatically redirected to Stansted when the alarm was raised following alleged threats to the crew, shortly before it was due to land in Manchester.
Two RAF fighter jets were scrambled to flank the plane as it made an emergency landing in London.
Mr Iqbal said: “People lifted up their window blinds and saw the jets but there was no public announcement to say what was happening. It was terrifying being up in the air with this going on.”
After the plane landed, Mr Iqbal received calls from tearful family and friends who had seen footage on the news.
He said: “When I switched on my phone I had many calls from people in Pakistan and the UK.”
After reassuring relatives, he was interviewed by police for two hours.
The plane remained at Stansted and flights carried on as normal, before being released by police about midnight allowing passengers to conclude their flight to Manchester.
Mr Iqbal was put up by his niece in the city on Saturday and returned to Dundee last night.
Tayyab Subhani, 30, and Mohammed Safdar, 41, both of Lancashire, are due at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.