An AirAsia X flight to Malaysia has been forced to land in Brisbane following a mid-air emergency shortly after takeoff.

The drama comes less than a week after the pilot of a stricken AirAsia X plane told passengers to “say a prayer” when an engine issue forced the A330 to return to Perth.

Flight D7207, left the Gold Coast bound for Kuala Lumpur with 345 passengers and 14 crew on board late Monday night when loud bangs were heard and sparks were seen flying from the engine.

AirAsia said a suspected bird strike caused the emergency and everyone on board was uninjured.

“Two bird remains were found on the runway,” it said in a statement.

The flight landed safely at 11.33pm on Monday.

Air Asia X #D7207 Gold Coast-Kuala Lumpur (A330 9M-XXT) diverted to Brisbane at 1310UT today with engine trouble: https://t.co/72NjnieqHx pic.twitter.com/TBzpfeTWhh

— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) July 3, 2017

Passenger Tim Joga told Fairfax Media the plane began vibrating a few minutes after take-off.

“The plane started shuddering, then there were a couple of loud bangs and a lot of light,” he said.

Mr Joga said he heard about “four or five bangs” coming from the direction of the right-side of the plane, before seeing flames coming from the engine.

“We are following all regulatory guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of our guests,” AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail said in a statement.

“We would like to commend our pilot and crew members for their professionalism and swift action to reassure passengers … and to land the aircraft safely.”

AirAsia said a special flight would be arranged to get D7207 passengers to Kuala Lumpur.

“We are following all regulatory guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of our guests,” Mr Ismail said.

“We would like to commend our pilot and crew members for their professionalism and swift action to reassure passengers who were on board flight D7 207 and to land the aircraft safely in Brisbane airport.”

AirAsia X launched an investigation last week into the cause of another mid-air scare on a June 25 flight when passengers reported engine failure. That flight, also bound for Malaysia, was turned back to Perth.

AirAsia X said it complied with all safety standards set by the countries it operates in, including Australia. The investigation, being conducted in conjunction with engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, is expected to take months.

Choo Hooi Lim, a passenger on Monday’s flight, posted a video on Facebook after the plane landed safely and expressed his relief and being back on the ground.

– With AAP