- A Boeing 737 flying to Moscow, Russia, made an emergency landing on Friday.
- Media outlets reported that the plane experienced engine failure after takeoff.
A passenger plane traveling across Russia made an emergency landing on Friday after its engines caught fire.
Agence France-Presse reported that the incident occurred when a Boeing 737, operated by Russian airline S7, attempted to fly from the Novosibirsk International Airport in Siberia to Moscow. The news agency reported that the plane experienced engine failure after takeoff, forcing it to return to the airport.
S7 Airlines 737 makes emergency landing in Novosibirsk after an engine surge in both engines. The aircraft landed safely approximately 10 minutes later. pic.twitter.com/RbALHQpnOJ
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) December 8, 2023
Footage widely shared online, reportedly taken by a passenger, appeared to show what the malfunctioning engines looked like from the plane's interior.
"The landing was made safely. There were no casualties. The causes and circumstances of the accident are being established," investigators told AFP.
The Daily Mail reported that The Eastern Interregional Investigation Department for Transport said the fires were caused by "a violation of gas-dynamic stability with micro-explosions."
Passengers had to wait eight hours for another plane to arrive and complete the trip to Moscow, according to The Daily Mail.
Representatives for S7 and Novosibirsk International Airport did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment made outside of regular business hours.
In November, a Russian airline gave customers $1,100 in compensation after making an emergency landing in a wheat field. The Airbus A320 was still stuck in the wheat field at the time, and the airline might "mothball" the jet through winter.
AFP noted that the sanctions Russia faces over its conflict with Ukraine means it no longer has access to Western plane manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing, making it hard for Russian airlines to import and maintain aircraft parts.
In November, Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev told local outlet RBC that the Kremlin was surprised to lose 76 planes over sanctions. At that time, Russia only had 1,302 aircraft, including 1,167 passenger planes.
As a result, the Russian aviation industry has been scrambling to stay afloat with methods like smuggling aircraft parts and reusing parts from pre-existing planes.