An Airbus A300 has been sent to the bottom of the Aegean Sea in the hope it will become a diving reef and revive the Turkish tourism industry.

The 47-ton plane, which was bought from a private company for about £64,295 was submerged on Saturday off the coast of Kusadasi, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.

Its journey began in Istanbul in April, where the 54m aircraft was divided into parts and taken by truck to the seaside resort town in western Turkey.

Divers and cranes then lowered the 36-year-old plane into the sea, as people and passing ships stopped to watch.

Two-and-a-half hours later, the plane was 75ft underneath the surface, where it is hoped it will lure fish and tourists in droves.

It comes as Turkey's tourism industry suffers due to security concerns and its worsening relationship with Russia, which forms a key part of the market.

There have been a series of deadly suicide bombings during recent months, a renewed conflict with Kurdish fighters in the southeast and the continuing war across its southern border in Syria.

Officials say the number of foreign visitors to the country was down by nearly 30% in April.

Turkish authorities recently sunk three other planes off the coast and other artificial reefs include the USS Oriskany, an aircraft carrier which lies in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida.

Another example is The Cedar Pride, a Lebanese merchant vessel that was damaged by fire in 1982 while in Jordan.

In 1985, Jordan's king took charge of the abandoned - but still floating - ship, had its oil and hazards removed and then scuttled it.

It now sits 82ft deep in the Red Sea.

Source: Skynews