A China Eastern flight from Sydney to Shanghai has been forced to turn around after its flight crew noticed a hole in the plane’s engine just moments after taking off.
Images show a gaping hole across the engine casing of the Airbus A330, which departed at 8.30pm on Sunday.
Flight MU736 reached Bulli, about 70km south of Sydney, before it made the emergency call to Sydney Airport.
Passengers told 9News the flight have said they heard a loud bang or explosion after take off.
‘The moment that we took off the wing to my left just started making a massive amount of noise and they cleared all the seats,’ one passenger said.
The explosion was reportedly so loud residents in Sydney’s west heard it from their homes.
The plane was forced to circle for about an hour to burn fuel before it safely landed.
NSW Emergency fire crews rushed to the scene.
The cause of the damage is unknown but the incident is being investigated.
No passengers were harmed.
Airbus A330s can hold around 297 passengers
Credits: Dailymail UK