ADEN, Dec 24: An Emirates Boeing 777 carrying 287 people made an emergency landing in Aden, southern Yemen, on Monday after one of its two engines closed down, the airport’s director said.

“A technical fault shut down the aircraft’s number two engine,” director Mohammad Khedr said in a statement carried by the official SABA news agency.

In Aden, airport sources first said the aircraft had been hijacked.

However, the airport director later said, “The airliner was not hijacked, there was a big misunderstanding as security is on high alert because of the international situation.

The 272 passengers and 15 crew heading from Dubai to Nairobi aboard flight EK 423 were all unharmed

“The captain emptied most of the fuel over the sea to ensure a smooth landing at Aden airport,” Khedr said.

“The aircraft is undergoing maintenance which could take two days and another plane is flying in to take the passengers” to Nairobi, he added.

Kheder said: “The airport was closed for incoming or outgoing traffic with emergency personnel and equipment deployed on the runway.”

Alison Fogaty, an Australian passenger on the flight, said: “We were told by the captain ... that we were having technical problems and were going to land for repairs.

“The passengers were calm and the crew was professional, and after the landing the captain came into the passenger area and gave a full explanation.”

In Dubai, an Emirates spokeswoman said a cockpit warning light had alerted Captain Darryl Tarr, of Zimbabwe, to possible mechanical trouble.

“One of the indicator lights came on in the cockpit and the captain decided to go to the nearest airport,” said Frances Barton of the Dubai government-owned company.—AFP