Dubai:  A Dubai-bound Emirates flight from Sydney had to turn back shortly after take-off on Sunday night due to engine trouble, the carrier said on Monday, with passengers hearing a loud bang and seeing a flash of orange.
“Emirates flight EK413 from Sydney to Dubai on November 11 turned back shortly after take-off due to an engine fault,” the carrier said in a statement.
The pilot of the Airbus plane, carrying 380 passengers, decided to turn back shortly after take-off.
Passengers reported ‘a loud bang and a flash of orange’.
“Emirates is still investigating the cause of the fault and apologises for any inconvenience caused to its customers. However, the safety of our passengers and crew is of the highest priority and will not be compromised,” the airline statement read.
The passengers were re-booked on alternative flights or offered overnight hotel stay, the statement added.
Qantas, which recently sealed a major partnership with Emirates, had an engine explode on one of its A380s over Indonesia in November 2010.
The accident, during a flight from Singapore to Sydney, led the Australian carrier to temporarily ground its entire A380 superjumbo fleet.
Subsequent investigations pinpointed a manufacturing defect which caused fatigue cracking in an oil pipe, resulting in a fire and potentially catastrophic engine failure.