Passengers at Gold Coast Airport evacuated onto tarmac

The Gold Coast Airport was evacuated this morning after the smell of smoke was detected due to an electrical fault.

Passengers took to Twitter saying they had been moved outside the building onto the tarmac.

The airport later confirmed the evacuation was brief and operations had since returned to normal.

"The terminal was evacuated for approximately five to 10 minutes for precautionary reasons, following Airport protocol," a statement released by the airport said.

"There were no flight disruptions or delays during this period."