A UNITED Airlines jet aborted takeoff at Bangkok International Airport early today after a bird got caught in one of its engines, and four passengers suffered minor injuries as they evacuated the plane, the company said.

Flight UA838 headed for Tokyo also "experienced a tyre blow-out" during the aborted takeoff, United Airlines said in a statement. It wasn't clear what caused the tyre to burst.

"The takeoff was aborted due to a bird ingested into one of the engines," the company said. "For the safety of passengers and crew members, the pilot activated an immediate evacuation."

The Boeing 747's two pilots, 15 crew members and 346 passengers slid down evacuation chutes onto the tarmac, the statement said.

Four passengers who suffered minor injuries during the evacuation were treated by a medical team at the airport and two of them were later hospitalised, the statement said.

A control tower official earlier said that 20 people had been injured.

The passengers will be put up at a local hotel and flown to Tokyo on another plane tomorrow morning, the company said.  

The Associated Press/News Interactive