All 136 passengers onboard a Cathay Pacific jet had a miraculous escape today when the plane was forced to make an emergency landing here after one of its engines caught fire shortly after it took off.
The CX715 flight with 136 passengers departed from Singapore's Changi Airport at 00.54 am today for Jakarta but it turned back to the airport following an engine-related issue, the Hong Kong-based airline said in a statement, adding that all 136 passengers were unharmed.
"An emergency landing was declared and the aircraft returned at 01.57 am without incident," it said, adding that sparks from the aircraft's No 2 engine were doused by fire extinguishers.
Due to the incident, Changi Airport had to close a runway for more than an hour. Cathay Pacific and Rolls Royce are probing the incident.
"We can appreciate the concern and anxiety felt by the passengers during the incident, but our captain and his crew were in control of the situation at all times. They reacted exactly as they are trained to do, shut down the affected engine and returned the aircraft safely to Singapore," said a Cathay Pacific spokesman.