Vancouver - A Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 aircraft was damaged in mid-air when it descended towards Vancouver airport in western Canada, news reports said Tuesday.

According to initial reports, an external air-conditioning vent on the underside of the plane broke and damaged other parts of the aircraft, the Canadian TV station CBC said.

The plane, however, landed without problems, its 363 passengers were unharmed.

The plane was en route from New York to Hong Kong via Vancouver, reports said.

Only a few days ago a plane from Australia's Qantas airlines carrying 360 passengers was damaged mid-flight. It is believed that an exploding oxygen tank ripped a 3-by-4-metre hole in the aircraft while it was travelling at an altitude of 8,000 metres.

The Qantas pilot made an emergency landing at Manila in the Philippines. (dpa)