The engine of a Hainan Airlines’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner caught fire shortly after taking off from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, according to reports.
Italian news outlets including Repubblica and Corriere della Sera have published videos appearing to show one of the engines of the aircraft going ablaze.
The aircraft, which was headed for Shenzhen, China, was reportedly flying above the Roman neighbourhood of Ostia when the incident occurred.
As a result of the blaze, it was forced to return to Fiumicino.
Flight Radar shows the plane’s route as it took off before circling multiple times above the nearby coast.
Repubblica claimed the blaze may have been caused by “bird strike”, when birds accidentally fly into the engine.
The plane will now undergo checks to establish what happened and whether severe damage was caused.
Express.co.uk has contacted Hainan Airlines for comment.
