A Vietnam Airlines flight en route from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City abandoned take-off from Melbourne Airport this morning following an engine failure, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Airbus A330 plane started experiencing problems with its engine at about 10.50am local time.

Eyewitnesses said the aircraft’s nose had lifted before being forced to abort the flight, with debris and spot fires seen on the runway.

The plane stopped at a cross road of two runways for about 30 minutes before ground staff towed it to the terminal.

A spokesperson said the plane was not on fire and all passengers were safe.

Other flights at Melbourne Airport were disrupted for around 40 minutes until all debris were cleared.

- Bernama