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French Air Force chases business jet across Paris

The Local France
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French Air Force chases business jet across Paris
A French Rafale fighter jet escorted the plane away from Bourget. Photo: AFP

A private business plane was intercepted and escorted away by the French Air Force after it was caught flying over northern Paris on Monday morning, where security remains tight for the COP21 climate summit.

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The pilot was planning to land at the Le Bourget airport in northern Paris when it was intercepted by the French Air Force. 
 
Such an act is uncommon, but France remains under a state of emergency and the entire Le Bourget area has been under increased security since before the beginning of the COP21 climate summit, which saw the likes of US President Barack Obama in town and which concludes this Friday.
 
The pilot of the small Cessna Citation Mustang 510 had flown in from Belgium, and was unaware of the fact that the airport was off limits, reported the Nouvel Obs newspaper
After attempts to contact the pilot proved unsuccessful, the Air Force scrambled a Rafale fighter jet to escort the business jet from the area, eventually landing at Pontoise Aerodrome, north west of the capital. 
 
Residents reported seeing the two planes flying at what appeared to be high speeds and low altitudes.
 
Those found guilty of such an offence can be slapped with a €15,000 fine and up to six months in prison. However, no charges have been filed against the pilot.
 
The flight's path can be seen below in a screenshot from flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
 

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