BUCHAREST, Feb 28, 2009 (AFP) - A Romanian passenger plane made an emergency landing on its belly Saturday in the west of the country after a problem with its landing gear, but nobody was injured, airport officials said.

'The plane landed and all the passengers are safe and sound,' airport spokeswoman Carmen Stoica said.

The Saaab 2000 plane operated by Carpat Air, which had taken off from the Moldovan capital Chisinau, had 47 passengers and four crew on board when it landed in Timosoara.

According to a local official in the emergency situations ministry the plane made several unsuccessful attempts to lower its landing gear before air traffic controllers ordered the pilots to ditch the fuel and land the plane on its belly.

The plane circled for more than an hour while firemen covered the runway with fire-retardant foam and a dozen ambulances lined up in preparation for the landing.