Passengers aboard flaming plane told to 'stay seated'

When a British Airways jet in Las Vegas burst into flames just prior to take off earlier this week panicked passengers on board were told to stay in their seats.  

A video shot by a passenger inside the jumbo shows thick plumes of black smoke and oily orange flames through the window of the stricken Boeing 777, while a crewmember can be heard telling the passengers to "please remain seated".

The 159 passengers and 13 crew were evacuated before the aircraft was engulfed in flames, with only a handful of minor injuries reported.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, though it appears the engine disintegrated from the inside; according to ABC, components designed to keep the engine's compressor blades in position were found strewn across the runway.

The Association of Flight Attendants was quick to praise the work of the cabin crew, which, as evidenced in the video, did well to maintain calm inside the plane.

"The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) is proud to applaud the life-saving action of the crew on British Airways flight 2276," the organisation said in a statement.

"Passengers are crediting flight attendants with saving lives yesterday, and this incident once again reminds regulators and the traveling public of the primary role of Flight Attendants as aviation’s first responders."