Over 240 people on board a Singapore Airlines flight to Milan had a narrow escape today as their plane caught fire while making a dramatic emergency landing here after the jet was forced to turn back due to a mid-air engine problem. All passengers on board Flight SQ368 are safe, the airline and airport officials said as the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, with flames leaping from the plane's wing, touched down at Changi Airport.

The flight departed from Changi Airport for Milan at 2.05 am today but about two hours into the flight, the pilot announced that there was a problem in the engine and the flight had to turn back to Singapore.


The SIA said in a statement that Flight SQ368 was en route from Singapore to Milan when an "engine oil warning message" forced it to turn back. "The aircraft's right engine caught fire after the aircraft touched down at Changi Airport at around 6:50 am," the statement said. "The fire was put out by airport emergency services and there were no injuries to the 222 passengers and 19 crew on board. Passengers disembarked through stairs and were transported to the terminal building by bus," it said.

Changi Airport also issued a statement saying that the fire was extinguished "within minutes" by the Airport Emergency Service team, which was already on standby.