Updated, Adds video - The two Libyan Mirage fighter jets which were flown to Malta by defecting pilots a year ago, roared back into the air just after Noon today and are heading back home. 

The planes arrived in Malta unexpectedly a year ago yesterday, when their pilots Colonel Ali al-Rabti and Colonel Abdullah al-Salheen, defected to Malta after refusing to bomb fellow Libyans in Benghazi.

The two pilots were given protection in Malta for the duration of the Libyan uprising and the fighters were decomissioned as Malta fended off demands by the Gaddafi regime for their return.

The two pilots were back at the controls this morning. They acknowledged Malta's assistance with a low-level flypast before finally heading south.

The planes were due to  fly back yesterday, on the anniversary of the defection, but they were grounded by bad weather over Malta and Libya.

Sources said the jets could not be flown back because the pilots’ inactivity meant they could not renew a special licence to be able to fly in bad weather, which made them depend completely on instrumentation. 

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday handed the pilots their helmets and praised them for their courage.