Engine forces plane to return

AN engine problem forced a Boeing 767 operated by the Australian airline Qantas to turn back to Perth yesterday, Australia’s AAP news agency reported.

The crew on the flight from Perth to Melbourne noticed the problem between five and 10 minutes into the flight, it said.

Qantas was not immediately available for comment.

The Boeing plane, which landed safely, is equipped with General Electric engines, according to the report.

The agency quoted a Qantas spokesman as denying the decision to turn back was influenced by the mid-air explosion of a Rolls-Royce engine on an Airbus A380 last week.