A bird strike which forced an Air Malta flight which left Berlin to turn back also resulted in the cancellation of a flight between Paris and Malta which was meant to be operated by the national airline.

In a statement, Air Malta said that its flight KM377 operating from Berlin, Germany, to Malta experienced a bird strike on 31 December 2022, resulting in it having to turn around and land back in the German capital.

The passengers were re-accommodated back to Malta on 1 January whilst the affected aircraft remains grounded in Berlin for technical repair.

“This event and the resultant aircraft shortage has caused significant disruption cascading into the planned flight operations for 01st January. Air Malta tried to source a replacement aircraft through multiple organisations and channels, but no available aircraft were found at such short notice during this incredibly busy period of the year,” the airline said.

The disruption resulted in the cancellation of flight KM466/467 which was scheduled to fly between Malta and Paris Orly and back on the evening of 1 January 2023.

The airline said that the customers have been provided with hotel accommodation in both Malta and Paris and replacement flights will now take place on the evening of Tuesday 3 January.

The airline apologised for any inconvenience caused and said that safety is always its top priority and that it is taking all steps possible to recover the cancelled flights as soon as possible.