A Jetstar plane was forced to land in Brisbane after the cabin filled with smoke en route from Sydney to Cairns, the Australian airline said today.

The incident took place Thursday evening. No emergency was declared and no one on the flight required medical attention, Jetstar said.

It said its engineers were trying to find out what had caused the cabin to fill with smoke, which Jetstar said appeared only after the plane had landed safely in Brisbane, contrary to passengers' testimonies.

Video filmed by a passenger on board and which was shared on social media showed smoke in the cabin.

"The captain decided to shut down one of the engines as a precaution and divert the aircraft to Brisbane," a spokesperson for Jetstar said.

"While it's rare for something like this to happen, our crew are trained to deal with these type of situations and they handled the situation very professionally," the spokesperson said.

The passengers were transferred to another flight in the evening.

Jetstar is owned by Qantas, Australia's largest airline.

Passengers shared their relief after the "terrifying" experience on social media.

"The most terrifying moment of my life, I was just on #JetStar flight JQ956 that caught fire and filled the cabin with smoke," Aundra Thompson said on her Facebook page.

"We successfully landed in Brisbane. Never have I cried so hard... thankful to be alive and for the crew!!"

- dpa