Passengers on an early morning flight between Adelaide and Broken Hill had to be evacuated before take-off following an issue with the Rex aircraft's left engine.

Adelaide Airport said the incident closed the runway for about 20 minutes about 7am on Wednesday, with normal operations resuming at 8am.

Regional Express (REX) said flight ZL4818 experienced a "cockpit indication" with the engine of the Saab 340 during take-off and, as per "standard operating procedures, rejected the take-off".

Rex said when the crew shut off the aircraft's engine, a small amount of unburnt fuel ignited "for a brief period".

Passengers and crew got off the plane unscathed and were transported back to the terminal on buses, before all passengers were "re-accommodated on alternate services".

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