Maltese authorities have refused a Spanish aircraft landing on the island after it apparently lied about needing or having scheduled maintenance at MIA, One News has reported.

Beyond this, Transport Minister Ian Borg also said Maltese authorities refused the plane – an Airbus A330-202 – because it wanted to stay at the airport.

“This despite the fact that at the moment Ħal Luqa’s airport has limited space because planes are being kept there since they’re not flying,” Borg continued.

The airliner was spotted circling the islands’ south at a drastically lower 7,000 feet (typical flight ‘cruise’ altitudes are about 30,000 feet) for over 20 minutes.

Eventually, it was spotted climbing back again and continuing its route to Madrid.