Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Russia’s Rossiya airline revealed that a bird is the likely reason behind one of the plane's engine to malfunction during Saudi Arabia Soccer World Cup teams flight to Rostov-on-Don.
WATCH: Saudi Arabia team plane catches fire mid-air
“As flight FV1007 from St Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don began to land, the (Airbus) A319 plane suffered a technical fault with one of its engines, with a bird getting caught seen as the preliminary cause,” a Rossiya airlines spokesman said as quoted by Reuters.
Several reports suggested that the plane's engine caught fire were incorrect, the spokesperson further added.
“Nothing threatened the safety of the passengers. The aircraft’s landing took place in a routine fashion. No warning was sounded during the landing at Rostov-on-Don airport,” the spokesperson said.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation said in a statement it "would like to reassure everyone that all the Saudi national team players are safe, after a technical failure in one of the airplane engines that has just landed in Rostov-on-Don airport, and now they're heading to their residence safely".
Saudi Arabia were thrashed 5-0 by host nation Russia in the opening game and will face Uruguay in their second of the tournament on Wednesday.
