A drunken passenger on Malta’s new national airline urinated on the aircraft floor after being told he cannot use the bathroom while the seat belt sign was on.

49-year-old German national Andreas Heize was on a flight from Berlin to Malta on Monday, which was KM Malta Airlines’ first day of operation.

According to police, Heize asked to use the bathroom while the seat belt sign was on and became aggressive when told he had to wait a few minutes. He was asked to take a seat at the back of the plane, close to the bathroom, but instead of waiting, he urinated on the plane’s carpeted floor.

Witnesses said he had tried to turn his body over to conceal what he was doing but that people in the row opposite had a clear view.

Heize was arrested upon his arrival in Malta and taken to Mater Dei, where it was confirmed that he was under the influence of alcohol.

He was charged in court today, where he pleaded guilty and expressed regret.

Magistrate Joseph Gatt sentenced him to a three-month prison sentence suspended for three years and warned him to be on his best behaviour for the duration of his week-long stay in Malta.

“I want you to behave like a saint because if you make another mistake, you will go to jail,” he told him.