TWO men have been arrested on board a Pakistani passenger aircraft which was diverted to Stansted Airport.

According to Manchester Airport the aircraft, which has now landed at Stansted, is a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane which was flying from Pakistan to Manchester and carrying 297 people on board.

An RAF Typhoon was scrambled after an incident on board the aircraft within UK airspace.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “A Typhoon aircraft has been launched to investigate an incident involving a civilian aircraft within UK airspace.”

He added that the Typhoon is from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

An Essex Police spokeswoman said: “Essex Police have boarded a passenger plane diverted to Stansted Airport and two men have been arrested on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft.

“They have been removed from the plane.”

Stansted Airport said on Twitter that flights were operating as normal.