Two Maltese men who were stranded on an oil plant in the heart of the Libyan desert returned home late yesterday evening following a lengthy ordeal to transport them safely to Tripoli airport.

The men, who were initially informed they might be flying home today, left their respective sites at the last minute, after managers informed them there were vacant seats on a plane flying out of the desert yesterday.

“I left my room looking like I was still living in it. My jacket is on my chair in my office and my e-mail is open,” one of the men told The Times after he landed in Malta yesterday.

As soon as they got word of the place on board the plane, they grabbed a few belongings and sped through the 15-minute drive right onto the airport runway.

One of the men’s wives said she was very happy to see him and the children were excited.

“I couldn’t believe it until I saw the plane land on the runway,” said the woman, who preferred to remain unnamed.

The ordeal has been a lengthy one for the two men as their isolated position meant they were unable to reach the airport in Libya’s capital to catch the flight home.

Communication between the couple was sporadic and she only got updates on his return through e-mails.

The only way out of the plant was via a 90-minute flight to Tripoli on a small desert plane.

However, it was reported that the Libyan authorities were refusing to grant permission for internal flights to take workers stranded in the desert to major cities. The men’s employers and the Foreign Affairs Ministry intervened to get the two out of the desert yesterday.

When they arrived at Tripoli airport, they saw thousands of people, pushing and fighting to get through as terminal officials gave up trying to keep control.

The man, who has been working for the company for 22 years, was one of over 30 expats at the plant. He was last in Malta four weeks ago and, until yesterday, had never outstayed his time in Libya.

“It wasn’t easy for me. I had been working for a long time with the Libyans. They are very nice people but they are in a dilemma now,” he said, pointing out that the people’s happiness was being offset with news of dying relatives and friends.

The plant, he said, had to remain in operation, because it risked being looted.