Terrifying moment Boeing’s engine bursts into flames after take-off as plane forced to make emergency landing in Rome

THIS is the terrifying moment a packed Boeing 787 had to turn back after its engine caught fire shortly after taking off from Italy.

The Hainan Airlines flight was bound for the Chinese city of Shenzhen when it had to make an emergency landing at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on Sunday.

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The plane was packed with 249 passengers and 16 crew members when the right engine went up in flames after takeoff.

The aircraft was apparently struck by a bird, the Italian Coast Guard said in a statement.

Bird strikes are common and can be a significant threat to aircraft safety.

But the Boeing plane turned back and landed safely after dumping fuel over the sea.

There were no delays to air traffic at Fiumicino, an Italian airport official said.

It comes just days after terrified passengers leapt out of a Boeing plane’s emergency exit after flames could be seen from the aircraft’s engine.

Four passengers were injured in the mad rush to get off the jet.

The panicked dash came after a spooked passenger opened the emergency door while screaming to other travellers to get off after they noticed the bright orange flames.

Another video showed passengers gathered on the tarmac while others whizzed down the evacuation slide.

The Boeing 737-500 aircraft caught fire at Sentani Airport in Jayapura, Papua Province, Indonesia on Tuesday shortly before it was meant to take off.

There were 121 passengers on board at the time of the terrifying incident.

In June, a huge Boeing 737 spat flames out of its engine during a botched nighttime landing in New Zealand.

Dramatic pictures showed orange flames bursting from the jet mid-air.

The Boeing took off from Queenstown Airport on Monday evening before “several birds” flew into it – sparking the unexpected fire.

Witnesses on the ground reported hearing “loud bangs” as the plane flew overhead.

Meanwhile, frightening footage from May shows streaks of orange flames blasting from a Boeing jet as it took to the air with 450 passengers on board.

The Garuda Indonesia flight – also carrying 18 crew members – was bound for Medina in Saudi Arabia but had to land back at Makassar, Indonesia.

Many of those on board the Boeing 747-400 aircraft were due to take part in the Hajj annual pilgrimage in Mecca.

The aircraft immediately returned to the airport after “fire was observed in one of the engines”, a Garuda Indonesia spokesman said.