Engine panel falls off Qantas jumbo jet

Sydney: In the latest string of incidents for Qantas Airways, an engine access panel fell off a Qantas jumbo jet en route to Singapore on Friday.

Qantas has been in the spotlight since a hole on a plane on July 25 forced an emergency landing in the Philippine capital of Manila.

Inspectors conducting a routine check in Singapore on the Boeing 747-400 noticed the small panel had become detached, a Qantas spokeswoman said.

"This had absolutely no flight safety implications," said the spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The panel was replaced, and the flight continued on to London after a delay of about six hours.