MANILA - A Manila-bound Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight carrying 218 passengers returned to an airport in Sydney, Australia on Sunday morning after it reportedly encountered problems with its landing gear.

A report by 7 News Australia said the PAL flight PR 212 made an emergency landing shortly after taking off from the Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney.

Passengers were told that the flight, scheduled for arrival in Manila at 5:10 p.m., was initially cancelled due to landing gear glitches but it resumed an hour later.

The PAL flight turned around and went back to its take off point after reaching Wollongong. It was able to return to Sydney safely.

In a statement, PAL confirmed that flight PR 212 had to return to Sydney "due to a technical issue" but denied that the plane made an emergency landing as reported by Australian media.

PAL said the A340 aircraft, with 218 passengers and 14 flight crew (3 pilots and 11 cabin crew), landed normally in Sydney and was subjected to a technical check.

"Passengers were given hotel accommodations and are being apprised of the situation," it added.

Affected passengers, PAL said, were rebooked on the following day's Sydney-Manila flight while others were booked on other airlines,

PAL stressed that safety remains the cornerstone of PAL operations as it sought the understanding of its passengers.