A China Eastern Airlines plane returned to the Hongqiao International Airport 10 minutes after it took off due to a mechanical fault yesterday morning.

No one was injured but Eastern Airlines officials refused to provide the cause of the problem.

According to passengers, flight No. 5303 departed from the city to Guangzhou, Guangdong Province at 10am but 10 minutes later they were told the aircraft had to make an emergency landing owing to a malfunction.

A male passenger said the pilots decided to fly back as they found one of the side windshields cracked.

(Shanghai Daily August 31, 2005)