Jumbo jet turns back with engine trouble

A Cathay Pacific plane with more than 350 passengers on board returned to Hong Kong because of engine trouble, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

Flight CX872, bound for San Francisco, experienced a problem with one of its four engines about 23 minutes after takeoff on Thursday night, she said, and the pilot decided to fly the Boeing 747-400 back to Hong Kong as a precautionary measure.

The engine did not catch fire, no emergency landing was declared, and no injuries were reported.

Passengers flew out on a different plane less than two hours later, the spokeswoman said.

An Airport Authority spokesman said fire services and ambulances were placed on standby, which is normal procedure any time an aircraft returns to the city after takeoff.