Safe landing for passenger-less Southwest 737 MAX 8 flight after emergency declaration

A Southwest Airlines Co Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft without passengers and of the type that was grounded two weeks ago, landed safely on Tuesday after declaring an emergency over an engine-related problem leaving Orlando International Airport in Florida, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said.

The plane was headed to Victorville, California for repositioning but returned safely to Orlando at about 2:50 p.m. (1850 GMT).

The FAA grounded the 737 MAX following two fatal crashes since October but has allowed airlines to conduct flights without passengers to move planes to other airports. A Boeing spokesman said it the company was "aware of the incident and supporting our customer." Southwest did not immediately comment.