ST. PETERSBURG, May 13. /TASS/. A passenger airplane of Rossiya Airlines, flying from St. Petersburg to Ufa, landed at the airport of its departure following a reported technical malfunction, a spokesman for the airline company told TASS on Wednesday.

"The plane has landed," the spokesman said. "All passengers will be taken to another aircraft within the next two hours and then they will be transported to the airport of their destination."

A source in the aviation services told TASS earlier that the aircraft, which belongs to football club Zenit St. Petersburg, was forced to return to Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg after its decompression sensor went off soon after the take-off.

According to earlier reports, an Airbus A319 passenger aircraft, en-route from St. Petersburg to Ufa, issued a call of distress 25 minutes after the take-off and the captain of the aircraft decided to return to the airport of departure.

The spokesman told TASS that the aircraft, which landed at Pulkovo Airport, was painted in colors of the famous Russian football club Zenit St. Petersburg, however, it was on a regular flight this time.

"This aircraft services regular flights whenever it is not carrying the [football] team," he said adding that there were no club’s players on board the plane this time.