Incheon: An Asiana Airlines Inc. flight en route to Tokyo was forced to return to Incheon, located west of Seoul, approximately one hour after its departure on Saturday. The return was initiated after the detection of a suspected engine issue, as confirmed by the airline.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the OZ108 flight, which had taken off from Incheon International Airport at 6:49 p.m. headed for Narita International Airport, safely landed back at Incheon at around 7:42 p.m. following the necessary safety procedures. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported among the 263 passengers onboard.

The incident involved smoke reportedly emerging after a spark appeared on one side of the aircraft's engine. Asiana Airlines is currently conducting an inspection of the A330-300 aircraft to ascertain the exact cause of the incident, considering possibilities such as an engine malfunction or a bird strike.

In response to the incident, the airline has arranged for a replacement aircraft and plans to operate an alternative flight for the affected passengers at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. This decision also takes into account the nighttime landing and takeoff curfew hours at Narita International Airport.