Emergency landing for Emirates flight at Mumbai

Mumbai:  An Emirates flight headed from Mumbai to Dubai returned minutes after taking off to make an emergency landing. There were 200 passengers and crew on board; all are reported safe.

The flight, EK507, took off from Mumbai at about 3.35 pm. A full emergency was declared by the Mumbai Air Traffic Control a few minutes before 4 pm and the plane returned.

Early inquiries suggest one of the engines of the plane developed a problem.

The airline later issued a statement saying: "Emirates flight EK507 Mumbai to Dubai returned to Mumbai airport shortly after take-off due to a technical issue. The A330 aircraft landed at Mumbai airport without incident shortly after its initial departure. Emirates is providing refreshments to its passengers and working towards accommodating all 186 passengers on the earliest available flights out of Mumbai. Wherever required passengers are also being accommodated at nearby city hotels. Emirates regrets any inconvenience to its valued customers, but the safety of its passengers and crew is of paramount importance and will not be compromised."