All the 118 people on a Hainan Airlines flight were safe after the plane made a successful emergency landing at an airport in China's southernmost island province of Hainan Thursday, airport officials said.

The Boeing 737-300, HU7871, took off from Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, at 9 a.m. and had been scheduled to arrive in Shenzhen in Guangdong Province at 11:10 a.m.

However, it reported a mechanical problem and asked for help at 10:30 a.m., according to the Hainan Meilan international Airport administration.

An official of Hainan Airlines who asked not to be identified said that there were problems with the throttle that might have led to an excessively fast landing.

The plane, with 112 passengers and a crew of six, turned off one of the two engines and made a successful landing at 11:56 a.m.

The company said it would send a new plane to take the passengers to their destination.

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2009)