Three people are in hospital after a Tigerair flight from Adelaide to Sydney was forced to make an emergency stopover in Melbourne.

Witnesses say fumes in the cabin triggered the emergency after take-off from Adelaide last night, forcing the Sydney-bound Tigerair flight to make an unscheduled stop in Melbourne.

All passengers were evacuated from the plane.

Ambulance Victoria crews treated six patients who suffered ear problems due to the rapid nature of the emergency descent.

Three of them — a man aged in his 60s, another in his 30s and a third in his 20s — were taken to the Northern Hospital in stable conditions.