A FRENCH Air Force plane made a rare visit to Southend yesterday to refuel.

Plane spotters at Southend airport got a treat and surprise when French Air Force CASA CN-235 transport landed at Southend airport on Monday landed for fuel. 

The aircraft was making the first ever visit of this type of aircraft to Southend.

It was on a flight from Edinburgh back to its base at Evreu-Fauville Air Force base in France when it landed.

A Southend air traffic control spokesman said: “What a lovely visitor this was.

“We were visited by the French Air Force in this beautiful CASA CN-235-200M. This is a mid-range twin engine military transport aircraft, which is the first visit of this type to London Southend Airport.”

The French Air Force are in the process of upgrading its fleet of CASA CN235 aircraft with modern avionics so they can continue operating until 2040 and this is one of the first aircraft to be upgraded. The aircraft that visited Southend is one of the first to be upgraded.