One of the most internationally renowned airlines has confirmed one of its planes had a close encounter at the weekend.

American Airlines has confirmed reports that a flight between Cincinnati and Phoenix on Sunday, February 21, had a near miss with an unidentified flying object.

The crew of American Airlines Flight 2292 describe the UFO that buzzed them as they passed over Des Moines, New Mexico as a "long cylindrical object that almost looked like a cruise missile"

Just before twenty past one, local time, the pilot of AA 2292 called Albuquerque air traffic control to request information on the bizarre sighting.

In an audio clip of the message captured by an amateur aviation enthusiast, the pilot can be heard asking: "Do you have any targets up here?