For the third time in two weeks a pair of French fighter jets yesterday landed in Malta after running short on fuel, with an embassy official blaming the mishap on inclement weather.

“Unstable weather conditions that created air pockets and heavy clouds prevented the jets from successfully refuelling in mid-air,” a French embassy official told The Times.

The two Mirage F1 fighter jets landed at around 11 a.m. after concluding operations over Libya. They left some time later after re-fuelling.

The first two fighter jets had arrived on April 20 after their mid-air refuelling aircraft suffered a technical hitch, while a second pair landed in Malta after one of them developed a hydraulic problem.

The damaged Mirage was in Malta undergoing repairs but left yesterday shortly after the other two jets departed. The French air force is taking part in Nato’s efforts to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya in line with a UN mandate.

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