In the late Wednesday night incident, the Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737 landed at Meilan international airport in Haikou in south Hainan province, Xinhua reported.

The crew on the jet, which was on a scheduled flight from Shanghai to Phnom Penh, was alerted when an alarm light in the cockpit, apparently caused by a mechanical failure, indicated a problem with a fuel pump, an airline spokesman was quoted as saying.

The passengers were informed about the problem but no emergency equipment was needed, the spokesman said.

"After the emergency landing, the airline authorities ordered another aircraft be flown to Haikou to complete the flight, and provided the passengers with water and instant noodles," the spokesman was quoted as saying.

The report said aviation authorities were investigating the cause of the mechanical failure.