WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Qantas airline said an engine failure on a passenger plane taking off from Sydney, Australia, on Friday caused the plane to circle before making a safe emergency landing.

In the statement made by Sydney Airport, it was stated that a grass fire broke out on one side of the runway at the same time. It was not known whether the two incidents were related. The fire has been brought under control but flight delays are expected.

Qantas did not say how many passengers were on board the Boeing 737-800 twin jet en route to Brisbane when its engine failed with a loud bang. No injuries were reported.

“We understand this will be a distressing experience for customers and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support,” Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Richard Tobiano said in a statement. he said. “We will also be conducting an investigation into what caused the engine failure.” problem.”

Sydney Airport said its main runway was still in service. In the statement made by the airport, it was stated that a grass fire broke out on the edge of the parallel runway, which was examined before being reused.

Stating that delays are expected, the company advised passengers to check the status of their flights with the airline.

Australian Broadcasting Corp. Reporter Mark Willacy told the outlet that an off-duty pilot, who was a passenger on the plane, assisted the Qantas pilot during the emergency landing.

A flight tracking site shows the plane remained airborne for about 20 minutes, flying in circles over the airport.