Smoke forces Air Canada jet back to Sydney

An Air Canada flight had to turn back to Sydney shortly after takeoff when smoke from a galley oven sparked a midair scare, a spokeswoman said today.

An Air Canada flight had to turn back to Sydney shortly after takeoff when smoke from a galley oven sparked a midair scare, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.

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Flight AC 34, bound for Vancouver and Toronto, had to return to Sydney about half an hour into the flight after smoke appeared in the jet's kitchen, an Air Canada spokeswoman told AFP.

"The aircraft returned as a precautionary measure due to the odour of smoke in the aft galley," the spokeswoman said.

"Landing was normal, without incident, and the aircraft taxied back to the gate on its own power. Maintenance teams are currently examining (the) aircraft," she added.

"We are looking to resume our flight as soon as possible."

Air Canada's Australia general manager Jeannie Foster told local radio the smoke was first spotted by crew and it was found to be coming from an oven in the kitchen and there were no injuries.

The pilot dumped fuel prior to landing but did not declare an emergency, added Foster. There were 262 passengers on board.

Airservices Australia had earlier said the plane turned back due to "mechanical issues", and Sydney Airport confirmed that the flight landed safely without needing emergency assistance.

"It touched down safely without incident and taxied to the bay at the international terminal. There was no intervention," a Sydney Airport spokesman said.

Fire and Rescue officials described it as a minor incident.