Twelve Air Malta flights suffered delays on Sunday after a plane was grounded by technical issues in St Petersburg and another suffered a birdstrike in Catania, the airline said.

The flight from St Petersburg was meant to arrive in Malta at 6.15pm but will now leave the Russian city at 7.30pm.

Tlights from and to Dusseldorf were also hit.

Departures to Orly, Zurich, Munich and Frankfurt were delayed in the afternoon.

Flights to Heathrow, Brussels, Rome, Catania and Marseille were also rescheduled, while a service to Comiso was cancelled. 

The airline apologised for any inconvenience but said safety came first.

Passengers were still requested to check-in as per original flight time since check-in might close on time if delays are reduced.