Cargo plane suffers technical glitch over Sharjah

Video of plane 'on fire' shared on social media, prompting statement from civil aviation department

An MNG Airlines Cargo plane takes off from Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Another plane had sufferred a minor malfunction while flying over Sharjah. Courtesy: MNG

A plane suffered a technical glitch while travelling over Sharjah on Sunday, causing loud bangs to be heard below and small bursts of flames seen coming from the aircraft.

The plane was filmed by residents below, who saw smoke billowing in its wake as small explosions appeared to go off.

On Sunday, Sharjah's Civil Aviation Department said the cargo plane, an Airbus A300 reported a minor malfunction in the engine within minutes of taking off, at midnight, from Sharjah International Airport.

The issue was quickly resolved by the pilot and the Turkish plane, headed for Istanbul, completed its journey almost four hours later with no further problems.

The aviation department released a statement after videos of the plane began circulating online.

It called on the public to refer to official sources of information.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation said it was working with the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority and the airline to investigate the incident and to "ensure compliance with the highest level of safety standards in UAE's airspace and airports."