An Air Malta flight from Orly, Paris, to Malta, was delayed by two hours last night because the outgoing flight diverted to Rome to drop off spare parts for another aircraft which had technical problems.

The aircraft which developed technical problems had been flying from Amsterdam to Malta when it landed in Rome as a precautionary measure.

Since no spare parts were available in Rome, the flight from Malta to Paris was diverted so that it could drop off spare parts and two technicians.

Air Malta said no other flights were affected. It stressed that safety was the top priority.