The Air Malta jet that had to take evasive action last Saturday to avoid an microlight aircraft, was only three or four miles from landing, the Civil Aviation Department said yesterday.

The incident, exclusively reported by The Malta Independent last Tuesday, occurred when the pilot of an Italian-registered microlight aircraft that took off from Gela in Sicily to fly to Lampedusa and back, decided to land in Malta because he was short of fuel on his return flight to Gela.

The Civil Aviation Department said the pilot was unable to establish communications with Air Traffic Control and proceeded to approach to land on runway 14.

At that time the Air Malta B737, operating the Rome-Malta flight KM 613, had been cleared by Air Traffic Control for an instrument landing system approach for the same runway. The Air Malta crew saw the microlight aircraft in front of them approximately three or four miles from touchdown and carried out an immediate manoeuvre to avoid the aircraft and informed Air Traffic Control.

The department did not say how many passengers and crew were on the Air Malta jet, or whether the pilot of the light aircraft had any passengers on board. Neither did it indicate if the Air Malta Boeing was subsequently instructed to land on another runway.

Immediately after the landing of the microlight aircraft, the department said, it launched an investigation into the incident and documentary evidence was obtained from the pilot. Radio functionality tests were carried out on the department’s instructions to ensure that communication with Air Traffic Control could be established. The department did not say what the result of these tests was and why the microlight’s pilot had been unable to contact Air Traffic Control.

The department said it then decided it was no longer necessary to detain the pilot and authorised him to fly back to Sicily.

“The investigations are still ongoing and the Italian civil aviation authorities have been informed of the incident,” the department said.