A massive hole blown in the engine casing of a China Eastern Airlines plane forced the flight to turn back to Sydney Airport an hour after takeoff on Sunday evening.
BBC reported that Flight MU736 was en route to Shanghai from Sydney, Australia, when the pilot reported technical difficulties with the engine. The plane landed safely and no injuries were reported. However passengers, who had to spend the night in Sydney, said they were frightened by the incident.
Images depicting the engine’s damage have since emerged on social media and caused public speculation.
According to CNN, Airbus said it was aware of the incident and would be supporting investigation into the engine issue. Meanwhile, engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce released a statement saying they were aware of the incident and would be working closely with relevant partners to understand the cause of the issue.
The emergency landing follows months after a similar incident in which an EgyptAir flight from Cairo had to abort takeoff after the left engine experienced failure. The Aviation Herald reported that engine failure caused a large hole in the cowl at the engine inlet up to fan section of the left engine.
The flight, which contained 211 passengers, was reportedly accelerating for takeoff from Cairo's runway when engine failure occurred. The plane came to a safe stop and, following checks by emergency services, passengers disembarked.
Both engines had been manufactured by Rolls-Royce. The company said it was too soon into investigations to comment as to whether the incidents were linked, CNN noted.
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