Manchester City staff plane evacuated at airport due to 'smoke in cabin'

A plane carrying Manchester City staff and journalists to Romania was evacuated at Manchester Airport this morning after smoke reportedly began appearing in the cabin.

The flight - arranged for City's trip to face Steaua Bucuresti in their Champions League playoff first leg - was heading for takeoff when passengers were told to "leave your stuff - go, go, go", according to reports.

None of City's players was on board the plane, but club legend Mike Summerbee is believed to have been among the travelling party.

A fault with the air conditioning system caused the evacuation, which alerted staff to put the fire services on standby, but the issue was eventually resolved and passengers were allowed to re-board, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The plane belongs to Romanian airline Carpatair.