TERRIFIED passengers helped avoid a possible jet crash - by shifting seats to the front of the stricken plane.

The worried travellers knew there was something wrong when the aircraft began to vibrate minutes before it was due to land in Paris earlier this month, it has been revealed.

They were told not to panic, but to move to the front to help with the balance.

The horrified passengers aboard the Fokker 100 were en route to France from Newcastle Airport when the drama unfolded.

The aircraft began to vibrate and couldn't maintain its height at 11,000ft as it prepared to land.

The 78 passengers and five crew were then asked to huddle in seats at the front of the plane and it was able to land safely.

The cabin chaos erupted as the Gill Airways flight AF5105 prepared for its descent into Charles de Gaulle airport.

Bosses at the Tyneside-based airline still do not know what caused the problem.

But the plane was back in service nine days after the incident .

Gill Airways spokesman Stan Abbott said: "Passengers at the back of the plane were asked to go to sit in the empty seats at the front of the cabin. It was to assist with weight distribution.

"I don't want to speculate with an investigation still ongoing, but the crucial thing is that the aircraft is back in service."

He said the aircraft was back in the air with the endorsement of the air accident investigation branch of the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the manufacturer.

Mr Abbott added: "The plane has operated without incident since."