MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan 5: An Etihad Airways flight with nearly 300 passengers had to abort its take-off after its landing gear caught fire, causing two of its wheels to explode.

Flight EY461, heading to Abu Dhabi, was just moments from departing Melbourne Airport on Sunday night when the incident occurred.

Footage from the scene shows the aircraft on the tarmac, surrounded by fire trucks. Firefighters applied foam to the area as a precaution.

A passenger onboard told 3AW's Jacqui Felgate that the plane had to "slam on the emergency brakes" during the take-off attempt.

The Boeing 787 jet now sits on runway 34, where it remains after suffering two deflated wheels. The runway has been closed, and all 289 passengers have safely disembarked.

Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries. However, the emergency has caused significant delays to both arrivals and departures at Melbourne Airport.