A passenger jet was forced to return to Dublin Airport this morning after suffering a cracked windshield over the Irish Sea, writes Patrick Flynn.

Air France flight AF-1617, operated by Irish airline Cityjet, was on its way to Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris when the problem arose.

The crew of the Avro RJ-85 jet informed air traffic controllers they wished to stop their climb to investigate a possible problem.

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A short time later the crew confirmed to controllers that they had a cracked windscreen.

A replacement Cityjet aircraft took the passengers onto Paris at 12.50pm.

Last March, another Cityjet RJ-85 was forced to return to Dublin Airport after suffering a cracked windshield.

Flight WX-118 was travelling from Dublin to London City when the crew returned to Dublin for a safe landing.