German plane flying to Turkey lands safely in Serbia after engine fire

The German plane's crew and passengers were safely evacuated from the plane after it landed at Surcin-Belgrade airport, news agencies reported.

 

AP reporter at the Belgrade airport saw Saturday the Frankfurt-based XL.com Boeing 737-400 parked on the tarmac shortly after the fire was put out.

 

XL Airways said its Boeing 787-800 was on a flight from Frankfurt to Antalya in Turkey on Saturday morning.

 

The 182 passengers and six crew members on board were all safe, spokesman Asger Schubert told the AP. He said the company was sending a replacement plane to pick up the passengers.

 

Earlier reports said the plane belong to Lufthansa and was carrying 162 passengers.

 

Smoke was seen coming from one of the plane's two engines and firefighters doused the aircraft with foam when it landed, another spokesman for the airport told Reuters.

 

The pilot reported engine failure before entering Serbian airspace and asked for permission to land in Belgrade, he added.

 

Serbia’s B92 television station, which showed pictures of the aircraft on the ground with a fire-damaged engine, said the passengers would be flown back to Germany later Saturday.

 

The incident temporarily interrupted air traffic at the Belgrade airport.Â