Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, his wife Michelle and their children have left for Dubai for a holiday.

Reports read that a spokesman for the PM's Office refused to say how long the family will be gone for.

The Muscats were seen in the VIP lounge at the Malta International Airport, and now a photo has emerged of Michelle Muscat on the plane itself.

Malta is currently in the middle of a political crisis. It is usual for a PM to take a holiday, but there has been no official statement announcing one.

On Christmas Eve, Muscat was in Bethlehem but the government announced the visit only after it had come to an end.

Muscat has said that he will step down in January, after the PL Leadership election concludes, however many are calling for his immediate resignation.

He is also in the middle of a scandal surrounding alleged gifts he received from Yorgen Fenech, the man charged in connection with the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Recently, Muscat's former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri also left the country for a holiday, but rumours that the two will be meeting have been dismissed as untrue, reports read.