A Boeing plane’s engine burst into flames mid-flight after the aircraft crashed into a bird during take-off.
The Hainan Airlines flight was en route to Shenzhen, China from Rome, Italy, when a fire broke out on the aircraft.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was struck by a bird mid-flight, Italian Coast Guard officials later said in a statement.
The plane, which had 249 passengers and 16 crew members on board, quickly turned around and landed back at Fiumicino Airport.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was struck by a bird mid-flight
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Flames could be seen on the right-side of the plane, with video footage circulating on social media showing the orange blaze.
It was luckily able to swiftly turn around and make a safe landing and the incident had no impact on air traffic at the airport in Rome.
The plane will now undergo checks to establish what happened and whether severe damage was caused.
Last month, British Airways (BA) cancelled hundreds of long-haul flights due to maintenance issues with Roll-Royce jet engines on their Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
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The Hainan Airlines flight was en route to Shenzhen, China
Wikimedia Commons
The cancellations have affected thousands of passengers, with the airline halting the launch of its services to Malaysia and reducing flights to Qatar.
The impact has been significant with many routes being postponed, including the new service from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur, which will be launched between November to April next year.
One of two daily flights from Heathrow to Doha will be cancelled until March.
The British carrier has warned that further cancellations on other long-haul routes will occur between now and January.
It was luckily able to swiftly turn around and make a safe landing at Fiumicino Airport
Wikimedia Commons
A BA spokesperson said: “We've taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve.
“We've apologised to those affected and are able to offer the vast majority a flight the same day with British Airways one of our partner airlines.
“We continue to work closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure the company is aware of the impact its issues are having on our schedule and customers and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution.”
