Wellington emergency responders rushed to an Air New Zealand turboprop shortly after it landed this afternoon, after a smoke warning light went off inside the cockpit.
Passengers disembarked on a taxiway after their plane returned to the capital, being unable to land at its original destination, Rotorua, due to unrelated weather problems.
A camera feed of the runway during the incident showed the plane landing and stopping, before a flurry of vehicles could be seen approaching the turboprop.
Air New Zealand flight operations head Hugh Pearce said it was standard procedure to have emergency services meet the plane.
He said: “Flight NZ5236 from Wellington to Rotorua was unable to land in Rotorua due to adverse weather conditions.
“A decision was made for the flight to return to Wellington where, en route, the crew reported a warning light indicating possible smoke in the aircraft.
“The aircraft landed safely just after 5pm in Wellington and, as is standard procedure, was met by emergency services.
“As the aircraft did not return to the terminal, passengers disembarked onto the taxiway and were transported to the terminal where they were met by our ground staff.”
No passengers were injured as a result of the incident, Wellington Airport confirmed.
The airline said it was actively re-booking passengers and offering support.