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Malaysia Airlines jet forced to dump fuel, make emergency landing after 'engine fire'
PUBLISHED : Friday, 12 June, 2015, 3:30pm
UPDATED : Friday, 12 June, 2015, 3:32pm
Agencies in Sydney and Melbourne
A Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330, pictured in a file photo. The latest engine emergency could further dent confidence in the state-owned airline. Photo: Reuters
A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Melbourne today after a reported engine fire within minutes after taking off.
Flight MH148, bound for Kuala Lumpur, departed from Melbourne Airport at 2.16pm local time but had to turn back after an engine fire alert went off in the cockpit.
The Airbus A330 had to dump fuel – a standard procedure before an emergency landing.
Local media reported there were 300 people onboard.
“There was an emergency declared, there was an ‘engine fire’ alert in the cabin,” a spokeswoman at Air Services Australia said.
“The plane proceeded to dump the fuel and returned to land and it landed safely at the aviation rescue sites.”
It landed at 3pm without incident or injury, airport spokeswoman Anna Gillett said.
“The pilot called an emergency landing and as standard procedure … emergency personnel are currently on site,” Gillett said shortly after the landing.
Melbourne’s Metropolitan Fire Brigade confirmed that crews were called out to the airport at 2.22 pm but could not provide further information.
Malaysia Airlines had yet to issue comment, but the incident could further dent confidence in the “technically bankrupt” state-owned Malaysian carrier.
It lost two jets in disasters last year – with MH370 disappearing over the southern Indian Ocean last March and MH17 being shot down over Ukraine a few months later.
