French pilot Didier Esteyne says he has made aviation history after flying an all-electric plane across the English Channel.

But the claim is likely to be disputed because another pilot - Hugues Duval - flew from the French port of Calais to the English shoreline and back last night.

Mr Esteyne flew an Airbus E-Fan from Lydd in Kent to Calais on Friday morning in a journey which took less than 40 minutes.

Airbus dismissed the rival attempt, saying: "We are not worried. It would not count."

"We applaud the intrepid aviator that did this, although the actual details are yet to be confirmed."

Airbus' twin-engine plane is powered by batteries enable it to stay airborne for up to 50 minutes.

Mr Duval said after his flight that he felt "relief", adding this it was an "important moment" for him after years of developing and testing the plane by flying it over land.