Qatar Airways said that an aircraft that was forced to make an emergency landing at Istanbul's Ataturk airport on Thursday landed safely and that passengers had disembarked as normal.

"Today's QR240 from Istanbul Ataturk Airport to Doha has returned to Istanbul and has landed safely. The passengers have disembarked as normal. The pilot followed all QR safety procedures," said a statement by the Gulf carrier.

 A Qatar Airways spokeswoman said the emergency landing was due to a suspected bird strike.

The spokeswoman could not confirm a report by broadcaster CNN Turk that one of the plane's engines caught fire.

The Airbus A330 had been headed for Doha but had to turn back to Ataturk airport less than 30 minutes into its journey, after its landing gear failed to retract on take-off, an airport official said.

The plane was carrying 298 passengers and 14 crew. – Reuters and other sources.