Air Malta plane lands safely with burst tyre

An Air Malta jet landed safely at Glasgow airport late last night after experiencing a burst tyre on departure and being diverted back to Glasgow, Air Malta said.

The Boeing 737-300, flight number KM197, was carrying 137 passengers and five crew.

It made what an Air Malta spokesman described as a "precautionary landing" at 11.35 p.m. (local time) and passengers and crew disembarked normally.

Air Malta is currently making alternative arrangements to fly the passengers to Malta on another aircraft as soon as possible.

BBC Online reported that Glasgow airport was placed on full alert while the aircraft circled for almost three hours to burn up fuel before landing.

Emergency services were placed on stand-by and a Royal Navy rescue helicopter was sent to the scene.

BAA spokesman Malcolm Robertson was quoted as saying that full-scale emergency procedures were activated at the airport.

Strathclyde Fire Brigade sent six vehicles to assist emergency services at the airport.

Last month, an Air Malta Boeing 737-300 made a successful landing at Malta International Airport after a tyre in its right undercarriage burst, possibly on take-off.

Flight KM572 had left Malta for Moscow's Domododevo airport carrying 122 passengers and six crew before returning to circle the island in order to waste fuel as a safety precaution.