MELBOURNE: The landing gear of an Etihad Airways flight with 300 passengers on board caught fire and two wheels burst. The incident took place at the Melbourne airport in Australia on Sunday morning.

Dramatic scenes unfolded while Etihad Airways flight EY461 was taking off. According to media reports, a passenger said that the plane had to make an emergency stop after the landing gear caught fire. Then the 289 passengers on board got out and returned to the terminal. Firefighters rushed to the spot as a precautionary measure following information about the tyre burst and took immediate action. The plane could not be moved off the runway due to damaged tyres. Repairs are currently in progress.

Videos circulating on social media show smoke billowing from the plane. However, the airline said in a press release that this was a routine incident during take-off and the plane did not catch fire. All passengers and crew on board were safely ejected without injury. The airline said its teams are working to help them continue their journey as quickly as possible. "Etihad Airways sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remain our highest priority," said an Etihad Airways spokesperson.