Fire at Sydney Airport: Plane lands safely after explosion

The engine of a Qantas plane has exploded shortly after take-off at Sydney airport, causing a massive grass fire and forcing an emergency landing.

Large clouds of smoke could be seen above the airport as NSW fire crews rushed to the scene.

All flights to and from the airport have reportedly been halted.

It is understood Qantas flight QF520 had just taken off from Sydney to Brisbane when the fire broke out.

Today Show producer Georgina Lewis, one of the passengers on board the flight, spoke about the incident

‘We had just left when we heard a bang. One of the engines turned out to be defective,” she told Channel 9.

‘It was quiet on board and for a while it felt like we weren’t gaining much altitude.

“There were some concerned looks throughout the cabin.

‘About ten minutes later the pilot came to reassure us about safety. He explained that they had had a problem with the right engine on take-off and had to switch it off for safety reasons.

‘I guess they had to notify everyone on site then.

“So we circled around on the water south of Sydney for a long time until we were finally able to land safely on one engine. There was a lot of cheering on board, I can tell you that.

‘I’ll be honest, I have a fear of flying, so this wasn’t my happiest moment in the air when I heard that loud bang. But I am so grateful that we are back on land. Kudos to Qantas for their handling of the situation.”

It comes as the airport, and others across the country, were brought to a standstill by a national technical glitch on Friday.

This is a groundbreaking story, more to come.

It is understood Qantas flight QF520 had just taken off from Sydney to Brisbane when the fire broke out

Large clouds of smoke could be seen above the airport as NSW fire crews rushed to the scene