CHIBA, Aug 20 — A Malaysian Airlines plane bound for Kuala Lumpur aborted takeoff Thursday morning at Narita airport near Tokyo due to a problem with the aircraft, Kyodo News reported the transport ministry said.

Black smoke was reportedly seen coming from the airplane when it was moving onto one of the airport's runways at around 10.40am local time.

Separately, Xinhua, citing public broadcaster NHK reported Narita Airport said the incident prompted the closure of Runway A, which is currently being inspected.

The plane was carrying a total of 160 crew members and passengers, and there have been no reports of injuries so far, the report said.

Footage aired by NHK showed the aircraft parked on the runway at around 11am, with several fire engines and ambulances around it as personnel worked to deal with the incident. — Bernama/Kyodo/Xinhua