Singapore flight returns to airport, catches fire

A Singapore Airlines flight to Milan has caught fire after returning to Singapore's Changi Airport. Photo / YouTube

A Singapore Airlines flight to Milan has caught fire after returning to Singapore's Changi airport following an engine oil warning message but all passengers are safe, the airline and airport officials said.

The aircraft's right engine caught fire after the aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, touched down at Changi Airport at around 6.50am local time.

Singapore Airlines has put out a statement saying emergency services put out the fire 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. Passengers will be transferred to another aircraft which is expected to depart for Milan later today," the statement said.

The Singapore Airlines flight, SQ368, departed at 2.05am local time, but about two hours into the flight the pilot announced there was an engine problem and the flight would return to Singapore, Channel News Asia reported.

The airline's only accident resulting in casualties was a flight from Singapore to Los Angeles via Taipei, where it crashed on October 31, 2000 into construction equipment on the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport after attempting to take off from the wrong runway. The crash killed 83 of the 179 people on board.

- Reuters, AAP