An Air Malta plane had an emergency last night when it was unable to deploy its flaps while landing in Malta.

The aircraft was flying in from Frankfurt.

Passengers were informed that there was an emergency. Airport fire crews were deployed.

The plane landed safely without running out of runway tarmac - the Malta runway is one of the longest in Europe.

Air Malta confirmed the incident.

It said that as a precautionary measure the captain advised emergency services to be on standby and advised the passengers accordingly.

The aircraft performed a normal landing after the crew completed the required procedure.

The Air Malta spokesman said that the airline’s crew are routinely trained for such eventualities.

The aircraft has been serviced by the airline’s engineers and will re-enter service this morning.

The spokesman said that Air Malta gave utmost importance to the safety and well-being of its clients and crew and apologised to its clients for any inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond its control.