Yet another sign that the end is near for Gaddafi.
The aircraft, an ATR42 turbo-prop, flew to Malta without prior notice and when asked whether it had permission to land, the pilot gave details of a flight which was supposed to have landed in Malta on Tuesday, the sources said.
Landing permission was refused and, after circling for 20 minutes while trying to reverse the decision, the pilot decided to return to Libya.
The sources said it was not clear who was on the plane, but Al Jazeera reported from Malta that a civilian aircraft that was refused permission to land and flew back to Libya was believed to be carrying the daughter of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
