Two Italian men were fined €800 between them after causing a commotion on a Malta-bound plane late on Sunday, endangering the safety of those aboard. 

Jacopo Paolazzi, 31, a supermarket employee from Milan and Gianpiero Zanzarelli, 29, a baker from Desio, were arrested as soon as they landed in Malta.

On Monday, they were separately charged for misbehaving aboard the Ryanair aircraft in such a way that they endangered all those on board. 

Zanzarelli was also charged with the illegal importation of cannabis resin in breach of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. 

Prosecuting Inspector Roxanne Tabone explained that the pair had been seated next to each other throughout the flight.

They appeared to be in high spirits and were fooling around until an argument allegedly broke out and one of them slapped the other.

Crew members stepped in to restore calm and order but the accused allegedly ignored their instructions. Their misbehaviour was flagged to police authorities who arrest the rowdy duo.

A search of Zanzarelli's bag yielded 1.41 grams of cannabis resin which he claimed was for his own personal use. 

The prosecution confirmed that the drug was not intended for sale. 

Both men pleaded guilty.

When making submissions on bail, their lawyer Daniel Attard, stressed early admission and the fact that the accused had cooperated with police.

The court presided over by magistrate Lara Lanfranco, condemned Paolazzi to a fine of €200 and Zanzarelli to a €600 fine.