This is the terrifying moment a plane engine exploded shortly after taking off in Romania.

The Airbus A320 departed the capital Bucharest at 6:47 p.m. on March 3, bound for Oradea International Airport in the western part of the country.

But flight H4762 operated by HiSky Europe suffered a sudden engine failure during the ascent, with lights from the capital city below still visible from the videos.

Horrifying footage shows flames shooting from the left wing, with the sound of the malfunction clearly audible from inside the jet.

Shocked flier Sorin Balogh said: 'Passengers were too shocked to react as the plane continued flying with one working engine.

'The Mayor of Oradea was also on board, seated a few rows behind me. After the event, he contacted the former mayor of Oradea, who helped arrange accommodation for the passengers for one night.'

Piloted by a female captain, the aircraft, registered YR-BEE, turned back and made an emergency landing at the Henri Coanda International Airport. It was just 17 minutes after taking off.

No injuries were reported but the plane was taken out of service for checks.

An incident report from the Aviation Safety Network stated: 'HiSky Europe flight H4762, an Airbus A320-232, suffered an engine failure on departure from OTP. The aircraft returned to land for a safe landing, 17 minutes after takeoff.'

HiSky is a privately owned airline that, since 2021, has operated regular and charter passenger flights from Romania and the Republic of Moldova to more than 20 domestic and international destinations.

The company operates a fleet of seven aircraft from the Airbus A320 family, including four A320s with 180 seats, one A319 with 144 seats, and two A321neoLRs, configured with 201 and 220 seats.