The Afriqiyah Airways Airbus 320 that was hijacked to Malta and released by the Maltese courts landed safely back in Libya on Friday.

Upon arrival, the aircraft was greeted by a soldier waving the Libyan flag in what can be considered as a symbolic gesture after the pro-Gaddafi hijackers, who are facing court proceedings in Malta, had disembarked from the plane waving the Gaddafi-era green flag (photo below)

The aircraft had been detained in Malta since 23 December hijacking and left Malta on Friday at 3.54pm, following its release by the Maltese courts.

The aircraft had been detained by the Maltese Courts to facilitate the gathering of evidence by the police and it will now return to the airline’s commercial network operations. Its release was welcomed by Afriqiyah Airways.

Afriqiyah Airlines reiterated its commitment to continue its collaboration with the Maltese authorities in relation to the connected with the hijack.

In a statement on Friday, Afriqiyah Airways Flight Operations Manager, Captain Shadli Abussen said: “Despite the political instability in Libya, Afriqiyah Airways has continued to maintain a commitment to train its crews to the highest international standards. It is evident that the Afriqiyah crews and their Maltese counterparts managed the crisis in a really professional manner and as such should be lauded for that.”