AT about £6,000, it could be the world’s most expensive rollercoaster ride. The makers of the Russian MiG jet fighter are considering taking fare-paying passengers into the stratosphere in a passenger cabin to be built on top of the fuselage.

Plans now under discussion call for three MiG-31s to be fitted with 12-seat glass-sided cabins. Those on board the “Migbus” could fly at speeds of more than 1,800mph up to 15 miles above the Earth’s surface.

The MiG’s manufacturer is keen to explore ways of tapping into the lucrative world of adventure tourism. European Aeronautic Defence and Space (Eads), the Munich-based company that first proposed the Migbus idea, confirmed last week that a potential investor in the United Arab Emirates was interested in the project, which could cost up to £60m to develop.

“It would be a thrilling ride,” said Gregor Kursell, a spokesman for Eads. “Cosmonauts have all talked about the incredible beauty of the Earth from space. Migbus would fly high enough for passengers to enjoy a similar spectacle.

“The project is technologically feasible and is already on the drawing board. It would be up to travel agents to see if they could find enough passengers.”

The MiG-31, known to Nato as Foxhound, is one of the Russian air force’s most advanced jets. It can track 10 targets simultaneously and normally carries a crew of two.

Passengers would have to wear special G-suits to help them withstand huge gravitational forces. They would also have to undergo stringent medical tests. A flight attendant would travel with them.

It would not be the first time that Russian military and space hardware have been put to commercial use: the last days of Mir, the space station taken out of service two years ago, were financed in part by cosmonauts filming advertisements for soap powder and underwear.

Dennis Tito, 60, a Californian millionaire, and Mark Shuttleworth, a young South African internet tycoon, paid Russia about £14m each to be taken into space. It would nevertheless be a radical departure for MiG, the oldest Russian manufacturer of military warplanes. Less than five years ago, the company was in such deep financial trouble that it made a calendar featuring sultry models pouting next to planes in the hope of attracting more customers. Sales have more than doubled since 2001, due in part to purchases of its best-selling MiG-29 by Third World countries such as Yemen and Eritrea.

“The company is doing well,” said an official at the MiG plant. “But we are looking into the possibility of tourist flights. Why not? The Migbus is technologically interesting and could become profitable as a tourist attraction. At least there is no shortage of very wealthy Russians looking for thrills. To them, $10,000 for a ride is nothing.”

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