A Colombian airliner overcame an emergency Friday after one of its engines caught fire and landed safely at Bogota's El Dorado Airport, aviation authorities said.

The plane, with 46 people on board, is a McDonnell Douglas of Colombia's airline company Aerorepublica, which took off from the northern city of Cartagena.

Juan Velez, director of the state civil aviation, said the plane was declared in emergency 20 minutes before landing, and thepilot had to fly over Bogota for several minutes trying to find a solution.

"The pilot turned on fire-control devices, and the plane landedwithout difficulties," he said.

Velez added that aviation authorities had investigated a possible leakage of smoke into the passenger area, although the crew said there were no further problems.

The cause of the fire is not known yet, according to the authorities.

Source: Xinhua