Mechanical failure in the aircraft’s landing gear forced an Emirates Airline flight bound for Dubai to make an emergency landing in Cape Town last week.

The emergency landing was forced after landing gear failed to retract after a successful take off, forcing the 243 passengers on board back to Cape Town for an overnight stay.

A statement from Emirates said at no point were lives in danger and the technical issue developed with the aircraft's landing gear according to the national.

The plane circled over the Indian Ocean for over an hour to burn fuel before landing.

The incident comes after Emirates was forced to withdraw its fare promotion in Qatar after failure to obtain pre-approval by Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority.

Launched on 26 December 2011, the global sale fare saw the carrier slash fares by up to 25 per cent to more than 100 throughout its network.