An airliner carrying 230 passengers had to make an emergency landing in Warsaw today after its landing gear failed to open.

None of the passengers aboard the Boeing 767 from Newark, New Jersey, were injured, said a spokesman for LOT, the Polish airline that operated the flight.

The pilots discovered a technical problem with their landing gear ahead of landing, and circled above the airport for about an hour before landing the plane on its belly without its wheels.

The fire brigade laid out special foam for the plane to land on.

The airport has been closed until Wednesday.

LOT said the plane landed with nearly empty tanks after dumping fuel in preparation.

On landing, sparks flew from the engine and small fires erupted under the plane but were immediately put out by firefighters.

Passengers could be seen evacuating the plane. They were then taken to a medical centre to be examined by doctors.

"There was no panic among the passengers. The cabin crew prepared them for the emergency landing well," LOT airlines president, Maciej Pirot, said.

He added that the crew carried out a "perfect emergency landing," which prevented anyone from being injured.

"It is the first time a LOT plane had to land without the landing gear out," he said, adding that such landings are not always so straightforward.