British Airways plane engine bursts into flames departing from Sky Harbor

A video posted to Facebook on Thursday showed the engine of a British Airways plane bursting into flames as it departed Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

In the video, three loud popping sounds can be heard while blazing sparks light up the night sky.

"What is he going to do?" asks a woman in the video.

A man replies: "He's going to turn back around for an emergency landing."

British Airways spokeswoman Victoria Madden confirmed the plane "experienced a surge in one of its four engines" shortly after takeoff.

"Our flight crew are highly trained to deal with such events and shut down the engine before returning to the airport," she said via email. "The aircraft landed safely and we apologise for the delay to our customers journeys."

Pilot Chuck Ogier posted the video, which was taken by Maria Rinaldi.

The Republic was not able to immediately reach Rinaldi for comment.

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