Superstar Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie flew out of Malawi earlier today without their adopted son David Banda. Madonna and Ritchie spent a week in the impoverished African nation meeting orphans and government officials, before filing for an interim application to adopt the 13-month-old tot at the High Court in Lilongwe on Thursday.

The couple met David's father Yohame Banda, whose wife Marita died a month after the baby's birth, and promised to bring him back to Malawi for regular visits. After a three-hour delay at Lilongwe airport, the couple's private plane departed Malawi at 2 a.m. this morning.

However, David has to remain in Malawi because they were unable to finalize his passport application in time, a senior immigration official told the Reuters news agency. David will be a young sibling for Madonna's daughter Lourdes, nine, and the couple's son Rocco, five.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)