An engine burst into flames during the landing of a Russian plane carrying the Saudi Arabian football team to a World Cup host city, but nobody was hurt, officials said.
The federal agency for air traffic said in a statement that the Airbus plane flying from St Petersburg to the southern city of Rostov-on-Don landed safely on Monday evening and no emergency procedures were required.
Rossiya Airlines, the flight’s operator, said the malfunction was probably caused by a bird strike.
“The A319 landed using two engines. The passengers’ safety was never compromised,” Rossiya said in a statement.
“The airplane landed normally, the airport did not declare a state of emergency.”
