"Apparently there was information that the pilot detected smoke in the cabin. So as part of safety measures, the pilot had to return to the ground," said Eric Apolonio, spokesman for the civil aviation authority.
The Airbus A340-300 plane, carrying 222 passengers and 13 crew to Tokyo's Haneda airport, was forced to return to Manila 20 minutes after taking off, an airline statement said.
PAL said there was no panic and the passengers all disembarked safely and would travel to Japan on another aircraft.