Qantas delays flight for 10 hours

About 300 Qantas passengers bound for Melbourne were delayed for 10 hours at Perth Domestic Airport on Friday.

The plane had been taxing on the tarmac about 11am before it had to turn back when the pilot reported a "steering problem" to passengers, 6PR radio reported.

Passenger Alison Redfern, from Scotland, said the day had been chaotic and she had waited hours to re-check her baggage and to try to check into a hotel.

The passengers eventually flew out of Perth Airport at 9.30pm.

Qantas was unavailable for comment.

The delay came a day after Perth's International Airport was shutdown when a cigarette butt in a top-floor smoking area fell through a grate onto a PVC pipe, igniting other butts and dry leaves.

Smoke from the pipe moved into the luggage chute and caused the evacuation of nearly 2000 staff and passengers from the complex on Thursday morning.

The incident caused a number of flight delays throughout the day.