VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Malta Air Traffic Services (MATS) has denied claims that Israeli military aircraft entered Maltese airspace this week, insisting there was “no violation of the sovereignty of the Maltese territory.” In a statement, MATS was responding to reports that Israeli tactical and surveillance planes had flown irregularly through the central Mediterranean on Tuesday night.
The agency clarified that at no point did any aircraft breach Malta’s sovereign airspace. MATS stressed the distinction between a Flight Information Region (FIR) and national airspace. While FIRs are designated for air traffic control, they are not an extension of a country’s sovereignty, the authority explained.
“It is normal and completely legal for military aircraft, even from other countries, to transit through an FIR without prior authorisation,” MATS said. Military tracking website itamilradar.com had reported that three C-130 Hercules aircraft departed from Israel’s Nevatim Air Base on Tuesday afternoon. Two landed at a joint Italian-US base in Sicily, while tracking data for a third reportedly “disappeared near Malta.” Prime Minister Robert Abela, speaking Thursday, said he was not aware of any irregular flight entries into Malta’s airspace and confirmed he had not been contacted by Israeli authorities on the matter.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
