Spanish military plane crashes near Seville airport

A military transport plane has crashed near Seville airport killing its crew, Spain's prime minister says.

An undated handout picture provided by Airbus shows an A400M plane.

A military plane has crashed near Seville airport killing its crew, Spain's prime minister says. (AAP)

A military transport plane has crashed near Seville airport killing up to 10 people, Spain's prime minister says.

Mariano Rajoy said up to 10 crew members were aboard a brand new Airbus A400M aircraft that was undergoing flight trials at the airport.

Spain's airport authority AENA confirmed that Seville airport has been closed on Saturday because its fire crews have gone to attend the crash outside its perimeter fence.

An industrial estate near where the Airbus came down in the suburb of Carmona has lost electrical power as a result of the crash, AENA says.

Thick black smoke could be seen rising from the crash scene near a Coca-Cola factory, Spanish media reported.

Air crash investigators, firefighters, the Guardia Civil and local police have all been notified, Spanish newspaper El Pais says.

All flights to Seville are being diverted to Malaga and Jerez airports, AENA says.

Spanish state television TVE broadcast footage shot from a car driving past airport buildings showing a plume of black smoke rising into the sky.

TVE said the pilots had communicated with the control tower, saying their plane was in difficulty.

The A400M is a large, propeller-driven transport aircraft that is being assembled in Seville. Some 194 examples have been ordered by eight countries - including Spain - seeking a replacement to its ageing Hercules fleet.


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Source: AAP



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