Eleven passengers and three crew were on Friday morning's Eastern Airways flight T3 722, which safely returned to Norwich at 07:26.
The airline said there was a smell but no smoke.
The passengers were transferred to another flight so they could continue their journey to Aberdeen.
Eastern Airways said the Saab 2000 aircraft had returned to Norwich as a precautionary measure.
A spokesman said: "The captain operating this morning's T3 722 flight from Norwich to Aberdeen made a precautionary return to Norwich to have the aircraft checked following an unusual odour in the cockpit.
"The airport fire service was initially put on standby, but was stood down on arrival. Our engineers will be carrying out an inspection of the aircraft.
"We apologise to passengers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our passengers and crew is our primary concern."
A plane headed for Aberdeen was turned back to Norwich Airport after the crew reported smelling an "unusual odour" in the cockpit.