WELLINGTON, July 22 (Xinhua) -- An Air New Zealand plane made an emergency landing at Christchurch Airport on Monday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to the airport at about 2:20 p.m. on Monday, Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman Andrew Norris said.

There was a report of smoke inside the aircraft. A police spokesman confirmed to local news media that the plane had landed safely by 2:35 p.m., and passengers were immediately disembarked onto the tarmac as a precaution.

An Air New Zealand spokesperson said Flight NZ5751 from Christchurch to Dunedin returned to Christchurch after a smoke indicator warning light illuminated.

Engineers were observing the plane to identify the cause of the incident.