THE MALTA INDEPENDENT ONLINE: The Libyan aircraft which was circling above Malta yesterday afternoon was denied permission to land because the government was not willing to risk the arrival of an “undesirable” in Malta, an official government spokesperson told The Malta Independent yesterday.
Italian news agency ANSA reported that, among the 14 passengers aboard the aircraft, there may have been Muammar Gaddafi’s daughter, Aisha, or one of his wives. However, “we do not know”, the spokesperson said.
The fact is that the aircraft flew to Malta unexpectedly and requested landing permission. However, the lack of a passenger manifest and the fact that the aircraft had no landing permission meant the government was not willing to take the risk.
The Libyan Arab Airlines aircraft made a request to land to the Maltese Air Traffic Control, but this was denied. It spent a while circling over the south of Malta while the decision was reconsidered, but was eventually refused permission to land and had to turn back to Tripoli. [Source: The Malta Independent Online] Chiara Bonello | Thursday, February 24, 2011
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