A Qantas flight bound for New Zealand has been forced to turn back to Sydney shortly after take-off, following an unusual smell in the cabin.

QF163 departed Sydney about 6.40pm yesterday heading for Wellington, but about one hour into the flight was forced to return and made a priority landing in Sydney.

Following standard procedures, the aircraft, carrying 144 people, was met by emergency services.

A Qantas spokesman said no passengers or pilots were impacted, but one cabin crew member was taken to hospital for further medical checks as a precautionary measure.

“A flight from Sydney to Wellington returned to Sydney after reports of an unusual smell in the cabin,” they said.

“The aircraft landed safely and will be checked by engineers before returning to service.”

Customers were provided accommodation and moved on to the next available flight.

The spokesman said there were no reports of smoke in the cabin.