WRONG END

OF THE STICK

A pilot flying from Liverpool, the birthplace of The Beatles, to Londonderry, the birthplace of Irish Protestant marching, mistook a British military air base for the city's civilian airport and proceeded to land his jet there - much to the surprise of the watching squaddies.

A statement from the airline Eirjet tried to play down the incident by saying it "involved the aircraft landing at a runway exactly in line" with the City of Derry civil airport.

That's a bit like Dick Cheney claiming there'd been a 'decoy malfunction' when he mistakenly injected buckshot into his hunting chum.

The fact that the two airports are six miles apart and the Ballykelly base normally has only army helicopters and light aircraft on its apron might have been another clue.

One bemused passenger said: "The pilot apologised and said, 'We may have arrived at the wrong airport'. "Everyone started laughing and thought it was a joke, then I saw for myself when I looked out and saw army officers everywhere."

The 39 passengers were taken by coach from the base to their intended destination.

Eirjet said it would begin a full investigation, working in consultation with the UK's Department of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Irish Aviation Authority over the border in the Irish Republic.

Don't be surprised if you hear the airline in question has now been nicknamed 'Wherejet'.

On a more serious note, if the same thing had happened at a US air base, it might not have had a happy ending. How many US base commanders would sit back and watch while an unscheduled, unannounced civilian airliner made an approach toward their territory?