Air Canada plane lands safely after smoke detected

All passengers aboard an Air Canada plane that was forced to make an emergency landing in Australia are safe, after smoke was detected on the flight.

Flight AC34, a Boeing 777, landed safely in Sydney. It was en route to Vancouver and Toronto.

The plane returned to Sydney "as a precautionary measure due to the odor of smoke in the aft galley," a spokesperson for the airline told CTV.ca in a statement.

"Landing was normal, without incident, and the aircraft taxied back to the gate on its own power," the statement continued. "As maintenance is still examining aircraft, we can't speculate on cause."

The flight, which was carrying 262 passengers, reportedly dumped fuel as it flew over Australia.

The plane left Sydney Airport at 10:25 a.m. local time and was met with emergency crews on the tarmac at 12:05 p.m.