Footage has captured passengers on a Qantas flight being forced to dramatically evacuate their plane via emergency slides at Sydney airport on Sunday (local time).
Flight QF575 was forced to turn around after less than half an hour due to a hydrolic issue.
It was on its way to Perth from Sydney when the incident happened.
"Once back at the gate, the captain made the decision to evacuate the aircraft as a precaution and three emergency slides were deployed," the statement said.
Qantas said engineers were inspecting the aircraft, an Airbus A330-200 that can carry up to 271 passengers.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the plane was stuck on the tarmac after landing and smoke began to fill the cabin.
"We were on the runway waiting to be towed in and we started to smell burning," Dillon Parker told ABC.
A Qantas spokesperson told journalists at Sydney airport that it was her understanding that there was mist in the cabin.
"I think perhaps some of the hydraulic fluid was pumped in by the air-conditioning system, I haven't heard of any indications of smoke," the spokesperson said during a press conference.
"It may have appeared like smoke, but it was mist from the hydraulic system."
One passenger, Ally Kemp, said on Twitter that the experience was "terrifying".
"Just had to evacuate my flight to Perth after engineering issues. Everyone had to exit the plane via slide onto Sydney tarmac after the cabin filled with smoke and the captain screamed evacuate," she tweeted.
The airline has categorically ruled out the presence of an actual fire onboard.
"There were reports of a thick haze in the cabin, likely caused by hydraulic fluid entering the air conditioning unit. While customers may have thought it was smoke, there was no fire," it said in a statement.
