Two French registered Super Puma civilian helicopters landed in Malta at 15.40 CEST. On one of the helicopters there were four persons, and on the other there were 3.

Two Libyan Airforce Mirage F1 single seater planes also landed in Malta. They requested to land in Malta due to fuel shortage and landed at 16.32. Informed sources have said that the pilots are seeking political asylum in Malta.

The military aircraft are being held at the Malta International Airport according to usual practices. The two pilots are being held by the police for further investigations.

Meanwhile, Air Malta confirmed that flight KM 696 operated normally from Malta to Tripoli. Flight KM697 left its stand at Tripoli International Airport at 1443 hours Libya time and was expected to arrive in Malta at 1446 hours local time.

An additional demand of passengers and a slow boarding process has delayed the return of the flight back to Malta. Around 100 Maltese and foreigners managed to make it on an Air Malta flight out of Tripoli and said that their biggest worry was not knowing what was going on.

Earlier on, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that Malta was closely watching events in Libya and condemned all forms of violence and bloodshed.

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