A Fuzhou Airlines jet was accidentally hosed down by firefighters with extinguishing foam meant for an Air China aircraft.

The pilot of a Fuzhou Airlines aircraft contacted the control tower after spotting sparks coming from an engine of a nearby Air China Boeing 737-800.

Firefighters mistakenly bypassed the Air China aircraft and hosed down the Fuzhou Airlines plane instead.

No one was injured in the incident, Fuzhou Airlines said in a statement on Chinese social media site Weibo.

Both planes were Boeing 737-800s, according to a statement from the airport.

When the fire trucks were dispatched, the Air China jet turned off its engine, without any abnormalities.

"(Parked) beside it was a Fuzhou Airlines plane of the same model, with smoke exhaust coming from the engine nozzle," the airport said.

"Due to the urgency of the situation, under an emergency rescue situation and to ensure everything was foolproof, the field commander decided to cool down Fuzhou Airlines' FU6577."

Realizing the mistake, two minutes later "the fire team turned the rescue procedure to Air China's CA1822."

According to an Air China statement, the sparks from its plane stopped when the engine in question was powered down.

The airline said it's investigating the incident.

A small amount of oil may have caused sparks at the aircraft's tail, the airline said, "which is considered normal."

"All readings of the engines of the plane are normal and there is no impact on the safety of the aircraft," Air China said.

The Fuzhou Airlines plane that was mistakenly sprayed with foam was towed back to the gate, where the engine was to be washed, inspected and tested.