A PILOT came within 50ft of colliding with a drone while coming into land at Glasgow Airport, it has been revealed.

The Embraer E190 passenger jet was being brought into land when the pilot noticed a ‘shiny white’ drone directly above the aircraft.

A report by aviation safety body Airprox says the risk of a collision at 800ft was ‘high’ as the drone passed between 50-100ft above the plane and that only ‘providence’ prevented disaster.

It was only visible to the pilot for a second after it reflected in the landing lights of the plane and passed over the window. No evasive action was required and the plane continued to land but September's incident, which has now been classed as grade A, was later reported to air traffic control.

It comes after drone sightings forced Gatwick Airport to close causing major disruption in the run up to Christmas where around 1,000 flights were cancelled over three days.

Police patrols have been stepped up around the perimeters of Scottish airports in response and other measures, such as extending no-fly zones, are being considered.

Speaking earlier, a Glasgow Airport spokesman said: “Rest assured we work in close partnership with the UK government, the Civil Aviation Authority and Police Scotland to ensure our security processes are both appropriate and in line with current threat assessments.

“We remain vigilant as always, particularly in light of the recent drone incident at Gatwick Airport, and would remind people that the use of drones within close proximity to an airport is both extremely dangerous and a criminal offence.”