EasyJet is investigating an incident in which a pilot reportedly flew too close to a mountain, triggering a warning alarm.

Military commanders are telling helicopter pilots are told to switch off a safety system in a move that makes them “practically invisible” to passenger jets, a whistleblower has claimed. The incident prompted a large emergency response and the closure of two travel lanes for more than two hours.

An easyJet flight from Manchester to Egypt came close to disaster as the plane got close enough to a mountain to trigger the aircraft's Ground Proximity Warning System.