Air Malta said this evening that 123 passengers have been stranded in Sofia because of the inflexibility of its cabin crew.

The airline said flight KM 785 from Sofia to Malta was expected to depart today at 07.10 am and land in Malta at 8.10 a.m. However, upon arrival in Sofia, the aircraft suffered a bird strike and had to be inspected.

Although, after careful examination, the aircraft was certified as being fully operational, the cabin crew claimed they had exceeded flight time regulations, something which the airline refuted. As a result, the passengers were stranded in Sofia. The flight is now expected back at 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

"Air Malta believes that this action was highly inappropriate given that the company and the Union of Cabin Crew are engaged in arbitration procedures on this issue and undertakings had been given that operations would not be prejudiced in the interim," the airline said.

It said it gave utmost importance to the safety and well-being of its clients and staff and it wanted to assure its customers that everything possible was being done to minimise the inconvenience. It apologized to its clients for this delay caused by circumstances beyond its control.