A Japanese passenger plane with 208 passengers and 14 crew on board made an emergency landing at Shanghai's Pudong airport shortly after take-off Saturday afternoon with no casualties reported, border inspection sources said.
The Japan Airlines' plane bound for Tokyo, took off from Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai at 2:30 p.m. Ten minutes later, the crew noticed engine problems and the plane began to shake slightly, the Pudong border inspection authorities said.
Aviation control authorities immediately asked the plane to land at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai. It successfully landed at 3:15 p.m..
An initial investigation said the plane hit birds after take-off. But the exact cause is still being investigated.
Airport sources said the plane was under repair and might be able to leave as early as Sunday morning.
As of 8 p.m., 70 passengers have been arranged to take other flights to Japan Saturday. The rest will fly on Sunday.
(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2009)