A Qatar Airways aircraft made an emergency landing at Istanbul's Ataturk airport on Thursday because of a suspected bird strike shortly after take off, according to a spokesperson for the airline.

The Airbus 330 bound for Doha landed safely and passengers disembarked as normal, the Gulf airline said in a statement.

The spokesperson could not confirm a report by broadcaster CNN Turk that one of the plane's engines caught fire but video footage appears to show a flame on one of the wings.

The airline released a statement, saying the flight, which was en route from Istanbul to Doha, landed safely, and all passengers had disembarked as normal.