The two Spanish hostages held by al Qaida's north African wing in the Sahara desert has left for Spain on Monday, media reported.

The two Spanish hostages held by al Qaida's north African wing in the Sahara desert has left for Spain on Monday, media reported.

The report said the two stayed in the capital of Burkina Faso for not more than two hours before flying home. Spanish Secretary of State for Cooperation Soraya Rodriguez was accompanying them.

The two aid workers were flown to Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou by helicopter after being held for almost nine months.

The release of Albert Vilaltra and Roque Pascual puts an end to "a terrorist act that should never have taken place," Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said earlier in a statement.

Vilaltra and Pascual, both working for non-governmental organization Barcelona Accio Solidaria (Barcelona Solidarity Action), were captured in November along with their female co-worker Alicia Gamez by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Gamez was released in March.