The Alicante flight, scheduled to depart at 7.45am, was on the runway when lift-off was aborted due to “haze in the cabin”, the airline said in a statement.

All 100 passengers and five crew members safely evacuated the Embraer 195 aircraft using its inflatable slides.

The runway at Exeter airport was shut for an hour following the incident, reopening shortly after 9am.

A replacement aircraft was arranged and passengers arrived in Alicante at around 4pm.

“Flybe can confirm the flight… experienced haze in the cabin just prior to take-off,” said the airline in a statement.

“Crew took the necessary precautionary measures and all 100 passengers and five crew evacuated the aircraft safely.”

Passengers were refunded the full cost of their flight and will receive EU261 compensation, the airline added.

Andy Feaver told Sky News he could smell burning when he boarded the aircraft, adding the cabin began filling with smoke when the aircraft started accelerating for take-off.

“As we were going along the runway to get ready to take off, it stank of fuel,” he said, while praising the “fantastic” response by the crew.