A Spaniard was today fined for running onto the airport apron in a bid to stop an aircraft from leaving for Spain without him.

Luis Salas De Teodoro, 33, admitted in court to breaching the restricted area without authorisation.

Prosecuting officer Silvio Magro told the court that the incident happened yesterday at around 9.45am. The accused was meant to have boarded the Ryanair flight to Madrid but was running late. The gate had already closed and the staff had vacated the check-in counter.

Upon seeing that the aircraft was still parked, the accused forced open the emergency exit and made a dash for the apron. He was stopped in his tracks by security personnel.

The accused explained that his intention was not to run up to the aircraft but to speak to the staff.

"You could have seen a beautiful woman and wished to give her a flower for Valentine's Day - you can't break the law," Magistrate Ian Farrugia quipped, explaining that ignorance of the law was no excuse.

The accused told the court that his girlfriend was Maltese and that he visited the island regularly.

He was handed a €2,300 fine to be paid in installments, echoing a similar case which had occurred in June involving a young Italian couple who ran down the apron, signalling to the pilots to let them onto the plane. The plane was still parked but its engines were running and the stairs had been removed.

Lawyer Christopher Chircop appeared for the accused.