The London-bound Boeing 747 had just taken off from John F. Kennedy airport late Thursday when one of its four engines ignited, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The pilot managed to extinguish the fire, before circling and returning to the airport for an emergency landing, Coleman said, adding that nobody was hurt.
"Everyone was very calm. The pilot was very calm, very reassuring," one passenger told the local NY1 television channel. "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know when the engine's on fire; it's pretty serious."
Another passenger described seeing the engine catch fire from his window.