Plane lands safely in Sydney with hole in engine casing

SYDNEY — A plane heading to Shanghai returned safely to Sydney after an in-flight problem left a gaping hole in the engine casing.

China Eastern said the crew on Flight 736 noticed damage to the air inlet on the left engine after takeoff Sunday evening and the captain decided to return.

The airline said on its Sina Weibo microblog that the plane landed safety and the airline was taking care of passengers’ needs. The A330 plane from Airbus has two engines.

Passengers told Australian media they heard a massive noise and smelled something burning.

Passenger Ashley Beck told Australia’s Channel Nine that after the passengers heard a loud noise, the crew started moving everyone from the left side of the plane.

Photos shared on social media showed a jagged, vertical hole in the side of the casing./rga