The first GR4 Tornado, from XIII Squadron, over-shot the runway as it came down at Newcastle International airport at around 5pm on Tuesday.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and the crew luckily received only minor injuries.

The Tornado, worth tens of millions of pounds, reportedly suffered damage to its undercarriage and the runway was closed for around two hours.

Passengers were warned of possible delays and were advised to contact their airlines before travelling to the airport.

Incoming aircraft were diverted to Manchester, Durham Tees Valley and Edinburgh during the incident.

Just half-an-hour later, a second plane requested an emergency landing after suffering a bird strike and landed without incident at RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire.

Tornados each carry a pilot and navigator and are capable of speeds up to 1,400 mph. Both were thought to be on training excercises when the collisons happened.

An RAF Marham spokesman said: “The jet came down at the airport after a bird strike. Both crew were recovered from the aircraft and are safe and well.

“There will be an inquiry and the Royal Air Force regrets any inconvenience caused by the incident to passengers and personnel at the airport.

“There was a second incident last night at RAF Leeming. This was a similar incident caused by a bird strike, but on this occasion the jet landed without any further complications.”