Koreanske selskaper med tekniske problemer - Curt Lewis

Aviation safety doubt as another Korean plane makes emergency landing

A Singapore-bound Asiana Airlines aircraft carrying 310 passengers made an emergency landing in the Philippines on Saturday after its right engine stopped in midair.

No one was injured in the emergency landing. But it has fueled already heightened safety concerns about Korean airlines following a series of accidents in recent months. An investigation is under way.

Passengers were taken to Singapore on another flight.

Asiana said a disruption in fuel supply to the engine was the most likely cause of the incident.

The troubled aircraft - an Airbus A350 (OZ-751) - took off from Incheon International Airport at 4:20 p.m. on Saturday (KST). About 3 hours and 50 minutes into the flight, the right engine stopped.

The captain decided on an emergency landing at the closest airport, touching down at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines about 10 p.m. (KST).

"We offered hotels to the passengers and promptly offered an alternative Airbus to minimize their inconvenience," an Asiana official said. "We also sent an aircraft maintenance mechanic to the Philippines to repair the dysfunctional Airbus."

It was the most recent safety incident to tarnish the reputation of Korean airlines.

In October, a Jeju Airlines Boeing 737 NG made an emergency return 40 minutes after leaving Gimhae International Airport in Busan, allegedly because of autopilot defects.

In June, another Jeju Airlines flight, bound for Seoul, made an emergency return to its departing airport in the Philippines after a safety alarm went off. An investigation is under way.