An internal inquiry should be carried out to understand how an Italian couple got onto the airport apron through an emergency fire door, according to former government security adviser Martin Scicluna.

“Any breach of security at an airport, particularly one like ours, which is the one and only, is an extremely serious matter. Whoever is responsible for that overall security at the airport should carry out an internal inquiry and take action accordingly,” he said.

Lecce couple Matteo Clementi and Enrica Apollonio.

The incident happened on Wednesday at about midday when Lecce couple Matteo Clementi, 26, and Enrica Apollonio, 23, dashed onto the apron to stop a Ryanair flight.

The couple missed their flight because they got stuck in traffic and desperately wanted to get on the plane because Ms Apollonio wanted to be home for her 23rd birthday. They were charged in court with breaching airport security and were each fined €2,329.

A Malta International Airport spokeswoman said that after looking into the incident and the procedures in place, the airport was satisfied with the response time and the way this incident was handled.

Read more on Times of Malta.