HOLIDAYMAKERS had to be evacuated from a charter jet last night at Glasgow Airport after smoke started to fill the cabin.

The Thomas Cook Boeing 757-200 had just touched down from Dalaman in Turkey last night when the incident happened.

The flight deck and rear area of the plane were engulfed in smoke, and passengers had to be evacuated through emergency chutes on the sides in the pouring rain, after which the emergency services swung into action.

All the travellers and crew were unhurt and the aircraft, which was due to fly out later that night, was fully checked and declared safe.

It is believed the smoke was caused by an air conditioning unit on the plane.

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said: "There was an incident involving a Thomas Cook plane which had landed from Turkey.

"All the passengers and crew were evacuated safely from the aircraft which has now been declared safe.

"It was not necessary to close the airport but there were some delays.

"The passengers were later reunited with their luggage."

A spokeswoman for Thomas Cook said: "All our passengers are safe and well and our experienced crew deployed the chutes purely as a precautionary measure.

"We would like to thank the BAA staff at Glasgow airport and our crew for their response and the continuing excellent care that they offer all our customers."