Dutch cyclist was due to fly on both MH370 and MH17 but changed plans at the last minute

A Dutch cyclist has made a lucky escape after being due to fly on both the MH370 and MH17 flights but changing his plans at the last minute each time.

Maarten de Jonge was booked on to the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday but late on changed to a flight scheduled for today instead.

In a tweet on the day the plane was hit in mid-air over east Ukraine, he posted a link to a story about the disaster, adding: "Had I left today, then..."

It was an eerie reminder of March, when he exchanged his ticket for the Malaysia Airlines plane that crashed into the Indian Ocean, instead flying an hour earlier.

He confirmed the occurrence on his website, where he said he had been "overwhelmed" by the responses he had received and paid his respects to the bereaving families from both disasters.

De Jonge's parents are now worried about his departure today, but he told Dutch website RTV Oosthe is confident of a good flight.

"I have been lucky twice," he added.