DATE	AIRCRAFT	OPERATOR	REG.	NOTES
05.01.60	V. Viscount	B.E.A.	G-AMNY	Hit the old control tower building situated between Parks 1 & 2. Pilot suffered slight injuries, with damage occurring to the control tower. From the Custom files at the National Archives, the aircraft landed at 19:05, flight number BE142/0501. Rzjets.org website gives cause of crash as loss of hydraulic power. The aircraft was described as “damaged beyond repair”. NOTE – The upper part of the tower (i.e. the glass area) was dismantled in the nineties.
07.08.61	V. Vanguard	B.E.A.	G-APEC	Aircraft with 70 passengers on board burst the tyres on landing at Luqa Airport; no injuries reported.
08.02.62	DC-6	Cunard Eagle	G-APON	Arrived at 04:45, departure date and time of 8th at 06:50 crossed out, replaced with the 11th at 10:10. UK-Malta-UK flight.
02.06.62	V. Vanguard	B.E.A.	G-APET	Arrived at 11:50 on flight as BE192. Original departure time of 19:30 put back to 21:15 on the 4th.
06.07.62	L-749A	Trek A/Ws	ZS-DBU	Arrived from South Africa on the 5th at 14:30. Departure time of 22:00 crossed out, replaced with 06:30 on the 7th.
21.07.62	Cessna 182	Aviation Services International	N6345B	Arrived on the 20th at 15:00. Departure on this day at 09:00 cancelled, the aircraft leaving on the 22nd at 11:00. See deliveries page ‘P’ for additional details on this aircraft.
15.08.62	DC-6	B.U.A.	G-ARXZ	Arrived at 03:15 from South Africa on flight BR552. Original departure time of 05:00 put back to 10:15 on the 16th.
21.10.62	DC-4	Trans Atlantic A/Ls	N90443	Aircraft arrived at 19:30. Departure date/time 22nd at 02:20, crossed out and replaced by the 24th at 11:20.
21.10.62	Viscount	B.E.A.	G-APOX	Arrived from Libya the previous day at 18:50. Departure time of 15:05 put back at 16:45 owing to the impractically of landing at Catania at the time. Departed from Luqa at 18:30. But destination Catania was crossed out, replaced by Tripoli.
29.10.62	SA Caravelle	Sabena	OO-SRP	Diversion on a flight from Tripoli.
31.10.63		B.E.A.		Aircraft was on a London-Malta flight when it was struck by lightning off Palermo Sicily. Diverted to Palermo airport for repairs, including damage to radar. Fight arrived 8 hours behind schedule.
09.09.64	L. Constellation	Skyways Ltd		Aircraft forced to return to Luqa by engine problems.
04.02.65	L. 1049G Constellation		9G-28	Diverted to Luqa Airport because of an unserviceable engine. Loaded with 200 boxes of 17,991 rounds of rifle ammunition, 40 boxes containing 115,200 rounds of sub-machine gun ammunition, 1000 rifles, 2 sub-machine guns, 1000 pouches and 100 parachutes, which were confiscated by the Maltese authorities. The (American) pilots were allowed to leave after paying a fine for a) contravening the Colonial Air Navigation Ordinance 1961, which stated that an aircraft may not be used for the carriage of munitions of war, and b) piloting a falsely-registered aircraft. Aircraft spent several moths impounded at Luqa, being allowed to leave on 29.01.66.
16.11.65	DH Comet	BEA	G-APMF	Aircraft collided with an RAF sweeper, and damaged right wing tip.
01.02.66	P. PA-32-6 Cherokee		5Y-ADE	Aircraft was a delivery flight to Kenya, departing on the 3rd. According to the Half a century ago section in The Times, which quoted the ferry pilot, Mr. Van der Vlugt, the aircraft’s engine was suffering from jammed valves, necessitating repairs. This would explain the three-day lay-over. For the webmaster, this also raises the question of who actually did the work. MIACO was still thirteen months from being set up, and there were no known maintenance companies at the time. Malta Airlines, which was a joint British/Maltese operation, may have had engineers based here. Or was such work entrusted to RAF personnel? Anyone who is/was familiar with what happened in such cases in those days is welcome to e-mail me.
20.11.66	DH Comet	BEA		Aircraft struck by lightning on flight to Malta.
__.12.67	F. F-27	Linair	OY-DNF	According to a report which appeared in The Times of Malta dated 12 December, the aircraft had been in Malta for “about 10 days” waiting the necessary permit to land in Libya. Aircraft was photographed on the 2nd.
04.12.67	V. Vanguard	BEA	G-APEO	Aircraft was being used on a pilot training programme. Photographed landing with engine feathered.
16.02.68	L. 1049G Constellation		5T-TAF	Aircraft was carrying a cargo of tires for the Biafra war effort in Nigeria. Registration actually belonged to a Cessna. The crew was arrested, and – despite the objections of the Director of Civil Aviation – allowed out on bail. Crew promptly escaped from the island. Aircraft eventually sold by auction, and towed to the outskirts of Safi village on 14.01.73 for conversion into a bar & restaurant, being officially inaugurated as such on 06.06.74. Aircraft eventually destroyed in arson attack, Jan 97.
25.07.68				General Workers' Union (G.W.U.) calls for a 24 hour general strike but full support is not forthcoming. The Airport is badly hit by the strike and all Malta flights have been cancelled.
02.01.69	L. C-130			Aircraft had arrived on 29.12.68. Crew, spending Christmas holidays in Malta, were asked to leave as the aircraft was taking up parking space. As the aircraft was on park 8, it is assumed this was a civilian operator.