SYDNEY, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- An Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Sydney with many Australians on board has been forced to conduct an emergency landing after it suffered a major engine fault on Tuesday.
News Corp reported on Wednesday that the three-year-old Boeing 777 departed to Sydney on schedule on Tuesday but was forced to return to its airport of origin just 32 minutes into the flight.
There were 329 passengers on board Flight EY450, including Australian student Emily Waterson, 19, who was returning to Sydney after spending a gap year as a summer camp counsellor in the United States.
She said the plane was forced to make the emergency landing after one of the plane's pilots told crew and passengers of the engine problem shortly after takeoff.
"Everyone was crying and screaming. Everyone was holding hands. The worst thing was the stewardess opposite me screaming and screaming," Waterson said.
"I spoke to her afterwards and she said she practises shouting Brace!' every month but this was the first time she'd had to do it for real," she said.
A passenger told NewsCorp that the plane's tyres were completely burnt out following the emergency high-speed landing, with the rims left touching the ground.
A spokesman for Etihad Airways confirmed an emergency landing had taken place but could not offer an explanation for the engine fault.
"Etihad Airways Flight EY450 from Abu Dhabi to Sydney on Tuesday 27 September returned to the airport due to a technical issue. As is standard practice, emergency response was activated at the airport. The Boeing 777 aircraft landed safely," he said.
