Qantas flight to Port Macquarie returns to Sydney after mid-air scare

A Qantas plane has been turned back after a scare in the air on Friday.

Qantas flight QF2160 departed from Sydney at about 8.35am bound for Port Macquarie, but the plane only made it to Sydney’s Northern Beaches before the aircraft performed a loop and returned to Sydney Airport, according to Flightradar24.

7NEWS.com.au understands that the pivot in flight course was trigged by the activation of a smoke alarm inside the plane, 7NEWS.com.au understands.

There was no smoke, or fire, but the flight was turned around as a safety precaution, nonetheless.

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The plane safely touched down just over an hour after take-off, according to Flightradar24.