Okaz / Saudi Gazette

MADINAH — An Egyptian plane returned to Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz International Airport in Madinah shortly after take off to make an emergency landing after the pilot noticed smoke in the cabin.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement that at 12:18 p.m. on Friday the control tower at the airport received a notification from the pilot of the EgyptAir flight No. 640 leaving Madinah for Cairo that there was smoke in the cabin and asked to be allowed to come back to the airport.

The statement said a state of emergency was immediately declared and the aircraft landed safely at the airport. "All the 50 passengers and the cabin crew of 10 persons were safely disembarked," the statement said.

According to GACA, there were no injuries but only some cases of panic and confusion.

"The emergency situation was dealt with competently and professionally by the concerned authorities," it said.