Sydney Airport runway chaos as fire breaks out after plane makes emergency landing

A plane suffering from engine failure forced to make an emergency landing at an airport touched down as a grass fire lit on the runway.

The stuttering aircraft carrying passengers aboard the QF520 to Brisbane touched down at on Friday morning after circling in the air over , Quantas has said, with pilots making a rough landing after its engine started failing. The airline said that, while the landing was safe, a grass fire was ignited along one side of the landing strip,

While is yet to say whether the landing and the fire were linked, a spokesperson for the airport acknowledged the impact of the "distressing experience" and promised that an investigation would follow. Sydney Airport has warned of flight delays following chaos prompted by the incident.

Qantas did not say how many passengers were on board the twin jet Boeing 737-800 bound for Brisbane when the engine failed with a loud bang. No injuries were reported. Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Richard Tobiano said in a statement that the airline would contact customers "to provide support".

He said: "After circling for a short period of time, the aircraft landed safely at Sydney airport. Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this and the aircraft landed safely after the appropriate procedures were conducted. We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support."

"We will also be conducting an investigation into what caused the engine issue." Sydney Airport said its main runway is still in service following the incident. Representatives said in a statement that the grass fire had broken out along the side of a runway parallel to the main strip, which is now being inspected before it opens again.

They added that delays are expected and advised travellers to check their flight's status with the airline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporter Mark Willacy told the AP that a passenger who was an offf-duty passenger had helped the Quantas pilot during the emergency landing.

He said that he heard a "large bang" as the plane landed, and added that it was "clear to everyone" that "something was badly wrong". He said: "There was a large bang and a really jolting shudder went through the plane. We knew immediately something was wrong, but what was more disturbing, I think, was the plane really laboured after that.

"It was a real struggle to get airborne and it was clear to everyone – the crew and the passengers – that something was badly wrong at that point.” Mr Trobiano said that, while passengers will have heard a bang, there was "not an explosion". A flight tracking website shows the aircraft was airborne for about 20 minutes, flying in circles above the airport.