A film being shot at Malta airport about a plane hijacking was disrupted amid the real hijacking of a Libyan Airbus A320, an official told the BBC.

"It's very ironic because then there was the real hijack on," said Magda Magri Naudi, the mayor of Lija.

The movie - Entebbe - is based on a hostage situation that occurred 40 years ago in Uganda.

Unlike that hijacking, the two hijackers in Friday's incident surrendered peacefully to police.

In 1976, Israeli forces freed 105 hostages in a surprise raid at Uganda's Entebbe airport, killing about eight hostage-takers and 20 Ugandan troops.

According to internet movie data base, IMDB, Entebbe - which is expected to be released next year - stars Rosamund Pike, Vincent Cassel and Daniel Bruhl.

Ms Naudi said the Entebbe film crew had to halt filming on the airport grounds when the Libyan Afriqiyah Airways plane landed at Malta International Airport.

The domestic flight with 118 people on board had taken off from Sabha and had been bound for the Libyan capital Tripoli.

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