Qantas flight returns to Bangkok after engine shutdown

The Boeing 747 flight returned to Bangkok this morning after pilots shut down one of four engines on the aircraft due to "an increase in vibration and high temperatures", Australian news agency APP quoted a Qantas spokesman as saying.

Earlier this week, a Cathay Pacific plane made an emergency landing in Singapore after sparks in its Rolls-Royce engine.

"We believe the cause is similar to events that other airlines are experiencing and is subject to an increased monitoring programme from the manufacturer Rolls-Royce," the spokesman for the Australian carrier said.

Earlier this week,  Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released an interim report into an explosion in one of the Rolls Royce engines on board a Qantas A380 in November last year. The report confirmed earlier findings that the explosion was caused due to manufacturing defect in an oil pipe led to an oil leak, which in turn sparked a fire in the engine.

The incident, which occurred in July 2009, could have led to weight and balance problems on the aircraft, according to an ATSB report released yesterday, it said.