The Royal Air Force has issued a statement following sightings of a transport plane flying at low altitude above Oxford.

People living in East Oxford were surprised on Tuesday, May 19, when a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III made a low pass over the city.

The sizeable aircraft is a heavy-lift strategic transport machine built to quickly move troops and combat-ready supplies anywhere in the world, and witnesses reported both seeing and hearing it at approximately 10.40am.

It departed from RAF Brize Norton around 9.30am and touched down back at the same airfield just after 1pm, with its route taking it towards Cheltenham and in broad circles around Bampton on multiple occasions.

An RAF representative explained that the military aircraft was flying at low altitude because it was carrying out a training exercise in the locality.

RAF Brize Norton serves as the UK’s largest Royal Air Force base, so sightings of military planes are not uncommon, and there have been multiple such incidents throughout this year.

Back in early March, Oxford residents were startled by fighter jets roaring over the city.

Inhabitants of Woodstock, Botley and Summertown all reported hearing a loud noise at approximately midday on Wednesday, March 11.

The RAF later stated the overflight was part of Operation Agile Warrior, which had been announced the previous week and was intended to assess the British air force’s capacity to defend the country during a volatile international situation.