Engine trouble on Qantas flight to London

Photo / NZ Herald

A Qantas flight from Bangkok to London was forced to turn back after trouble with one of its engines shortly after take off.

The Australian carrier said there was "an increase in vibration and high temperatures" in one of the plane's four engines.

The pilots shut the engine down and landed the Boeing 747-400, which was carrying 308 passengers, soon after.

"We believe the cause is similar to events that other airlines are experiencing and is subject to an increased monitoring program from the manufacturer Rolls Royce," the airline said in a statement.

A Qantas spokesman declined to specify which airlines have faced similar problems with the engines.

Rolls Royce came under increased scrutiny after one of its Trent 900 engines mounted on a Qantas A380 disintegrated in flight after takeoff from Singapore in November.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's interim report on the A380 incident said a manufacturing defect in an oil pipe deep within one of the engines led to an oil leak, which sparked a fire.

The fire caused a disintegration of one of the engine's giant turbine discs, sending pieces of it shooting through the plane's wing.

On Monday, a Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engine caught fire on a Cathay Pacific flight bound for Jakarta, Indonesia, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Singapore.

Cathay Pacific and Rolls Royce are investigating the incident.

Qantas' Boeing 747 aircraft use Rolls-Royce RB211 engines.

-AP