A TUI flight from Cancun to Newcastle declared a mid-air emergency and was forced to land in Orlando.
Flight TOM643 departed Cancun at 5.20pm on Tuesday and was flying over Jacksonville when it is believed smoke was visible on board the aircraft.
According to flight tracker websites, the plane was forced to make a U-turn and headed for Orlando, where it made an emergency landing.
TUI told ChronicleLive that the plane diverted as a result of a "technical issue".
One passenger wrote on social media that they were met at the airport in Orlando by "around 30 firefighters" who began investigating the plane.
But due to immigration restrictions at Orlando Sanford, passengers were forced to remain on the stationary aircraft for around five hours until it was deemed safe to fly again.
Customers were left even more angry when the captain decided to fly back to Cancun rather than continue the journey to Newcastle.
After going through immigration and waiting for their luggage upon their return, customers were provided with all inclusive accommodation for the night.
Flight TOM643 was due to land at Newcastle Airport at 8.30am on Wednesday morning. However, on the airport's website it lists the status of the flight as having an "indefinite delay".
TUI has said it hopes passengers will be on their way again on Wednesday evening, but a departure time is still to be confirmed.
A spokeswoman for TUI said: "We would like to sincerely apologise to customers on board flight TOM643 from Cancun to Newcastle yesterday, which was diverted to Orlando Sanford as a result of a technical issue with the aircraft.
"As a result of immigration restrictions at Orlando Sanford, customers were unfortunately unable to disembark the aircraft.
"Once the technical issue was resolved, the captain made the decision to return to Cancun where customers were provided with all inclusive hotel accommodation. The flight is due to depart today.
"We understand delays and diversions can be very frustrating and we would like to thank customers for their patience. The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always our highest priority."
