Qantas has reported its fourth technical problem in just under 24 hours.
A flight leaving the Thai capital of Bangkok for London was forced to return after experiencing engine problems on Tuesday morning, the ABC reports.
A statement from the airline says the plane's captain followed procedure by shutting down the engine and carrying out an "air return" to Bangkok at 2am local time.
The airline says there was never a safety issue because the 747 can normally fly on three engines. It says engine surges do not occur regularly but pilots are trained to handle them if they occur.
The 335 passengers were taken to a hotel while the airline sent a replacement plane from Sydney.
The broken aircraft is being examined in Bangkok and last underwent a maintenance check in March.
The incident follows an eight-hour delay in Melbourne on Monday night for Qantas flight 93 to Los Angeles because the plane needed repairs to a cracked windshield.
Qantas passengers on a flight from Los Angeles were 17 hours late arriving in Brisbane on Monday after a jumbo and its replacement both reported technical problems.
On Friday, a 747 was grounded because of a wiring fault after reporting engine problems on a flight to Singapore.
Last Wednesday, the tyres of an A380 burst on landing at Sydney Airport on a flight from London via Singapore.
