VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A KM Malta Airlines flight bound for Paris was forced to turn back shortly after takeoff on Saturday morning due to a crew assignment error, the airline confirmed.
Flight KM478, en route to Charles de Gaulle Airport, departed Malta International Airport as scheduled but was found to be operating with a copilot still undergoing training. Regulations require trainee copilots to be accompanied by a licensed instructor.
However, the flight’s captain was not certified as an instructor, placing the operation in breach of aviation rules.
The issue was identified roughly 20 minutes into the flight, as the aircraft reached airspace near Sicily. The crew was then instructed to return to Malta.
The aircraft landed safely, and passengers were later accommodated on a rescheduled departure using a different crew.
KM Malta Airlines confirmed the incident, attributing it to a crew mix-up and stating that corrective measures were taken promptly.
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(ITALPRESS).
