Footage that appeared to be shot from a passenger seat, showing the wing of the Airbus A319-100 enguled in fire was spread on social media by Middle Eastern news outlets.
Russia’s Rossiya Airlines has dismissed reports that a fire had broken out on the plane as it was about to touch down in Rostov-on-Don.
“Information that the engine had reportedly caught fire is not true,” the airline’s press service told TASS, noting that the Airbus landed with both engines working.
The cause of the malfunction was initially identified as a bird strike in one of the engines mid-flight, it said, adding that at no point was the passengers’ safety compromised.
A statement from the Saudi Arabian football federation’s English-language Twitter feed said: "The Saudi Arabian Football Federation 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."
