A passenger plane has been escorted into a British airport by a Royal Air Force jet after the pilot reported a suspicious device on board, with police treating the incident as a “full emergency”.

Footage of the incident on Tuesday appeared to show an RAF Typhoon jet escorting a Qatar Airways Airbus A330 to Manchester Airport in northwest England.

“An incoming plane has been escorted into the airport by the Royal Air Force as a result of information received by the pilot about a possible device on board,” said John O’Hare, chief superintendent of Greater Manchester Police.

“We don’t know how genuine this threat is but it is absolutely vital we deal with the situation as a full emergency,” he added.

Police said the plane had landed and that they “and other agencies” were dealing with the situation.

A witness told Sky News that the airport was “on lock-down” and that no planes were landing or taking off.