An Air Malta Boeing 737 aircraft bound for Moscow with 122 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing at the island's international airport on Friday after a tyre burst on take-off.
Air Malta said no one was injured in the incident caused by the tyre bursting, forcing the aircraft to circle for three hours to use up fuel as a safety measure before returning to the island's capital for landing.
Fire engines and ambulances were on standby on the airport runway. Some passengers were treated for shock.