A budget airline allegedly suffered an engine fire and had to make an emergency return to an airport in China.

Scoot Airlines flight TR135 departed from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport in Shaanxi province when terrified passengers said they noticed flames on its left wing.

The Airbus A320 had taken off 20 minutes bound for Singapore Changi Airport but was forced to turn back due to technical issues.

Footage shows fire trucks waiting near the runway. The passengers were evacuated and were loaded into a bus while the aircraft was inspected.

One of the passengers said: 'Minutes after takeoff, the engine caught fire and the plane made an emergency landing safely. I happened to be sitting behind the plane.'

But despite some of the travellers reporting seeing a spark, the airline said there was no engine fire.

A Scoot Airlines spokesman said: 'As engineers on the ground required more time to resolve the issue, a decision was made to cancel the flight.

'Scoot sincerely apologises for the disruption and inconvenience caused. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority.'

No one was reported hurt. Passengers were given hotel accommodation and transportation assistance after the flight was cancelled.