Two enormous 747 cargo aircraft owned by Evergreen International Airlines, similar to the one shown in the photo and a rare sight in Malta, were grounded by Customs this week at Malta International Airport until the cargo they were carrying was cleared.

The planes, travelling en route from Dover Air Force Base to Kabul, Afghanistan, were carrying military cargo, a government spokesman has confirmed to The Malta Independent on Sunday. The nature of the military cargo being transported was not specified.

It was previously believed that the volcanic ash cloud, which created widespread havoc across Europe’s airspace over the last two weeks, had grounded the aircraft.

Both aircraft were carrying military cargo that requires authorisation for transit by the Director of Trade prior to moving on to their destination.

The Director of Trade issued the required authorisations on Thursday and Friday and the aircraft were cleared for departure.