The 137 passengers and five crew who were aboard flight KM 197 travelled to Malta on another aircraft, an Airbus, sent over by Air Malta yesterday. The flight landed at Luqa airport at 3.35pm.

The Boeing had left Glasgow airport at 8.30pm Malta time on Wednesday. A tyre burst on take-off and, after circling over the Scottish city for three hours to use up the fuel, the aircraft

made an emergency landing at 11.30pm.

All passengers and crew on board were unharmed.

They were accommodated in a hotel overnight and returned to the airport yesterday morning to take the flight back home. This time there were no problems.

This is the second time that an Air Malta aircraft had a burst tyre soon after take-off. On 13 August, another Boeing 737 circled over Luqa for more than three hours before making an emergency landing after a tyre had burst on take-off to Moscow.

An Air Malta spokesman said that such accidents do happen on odd occasions, although they are not very common. “The crew are well trained for such accidents and we are always pleased that they carry out their duties accordingly.”

After the emergency landing, the passengers and crew exited the aircraft and they were escorted to a secure area at the airport before being taken to the hotel.

George Hutchison, 57, from Penicuik, who was on the flight, said: “When the plane took off it shuddered and within five

minutes it wasn’t gaining height.

“We cut back on power after 10 minutes. Things go through your mind like you might never see your family again, and when they started talking about the evacuation chutes, it really hit home. The passengers broke into applause when the plane finally landed. We were just glad to be on the ground,” he said.

Colin Walker, 29, and his wife Joy, 28, from Bangor in Northern Ireland, had boarded the connecting flight to Malta to go on their honeymoon. Colin said: “The passengers had been told to go into the brace position for the landing. It was a really rocky landing – the worst I have been on.

“My head was against the seat in front of me. I just wanted the plane to stop. It seemed like it was going on for ages. I was just overcome with relief when it stopped.”

The Strathclyde Fire Brigade sent eight fire engines, a turntable ladder, a heavy recovery vehicle and technical support units to assist the on-site airport crews during the incident. Police and RAF helicopters were also involved in the operation.