- Virgin Atlantic flight VS135 from London to Orlando returned to Heathrow due to a minor technical issue
- The Airbus A350 took off at 12:47 pm and flew west towards Ireland before turning back
- The plane circled near the Irish coast multiple times before heading back to the UK
Passengers bound for Orlando got an unexpected sightseeing tour of the Irish coast Monday when their Virgin Atlantic jet spent hours in the air, only to land back at London Heathrow, Metro.UK reported.
Virgin Atlantic flight VS135 took off from Heathrow at around 12.47 pm (local time) on Monday (July 13) with Orlando, Florida, listed as its destination.
The aircraft, an Airbus A350, flew west towards Ireland and climbed out over the Atlantic as scheduled. The plane suddenly made a sharp turn back towards the Irish coast when it was cruising at 36,000 ft.
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As per the report, it made six circles, then flew towards north and made one more lap. Eventually, it headed back towards the UK. The plane touched down at Heathrow at around 6:00 pm, and passengers got off.
Virgin Atlantic confirmed to the media outlet the turnaround was due to a "minor technical issue". The airline did not specify the exact problem.
As quoted in the report, a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said, "Flight VS135 from London Heathrow to Orlando on Monday, July 13, returned to London Heathrow due to a minor technical issue and was subsequently cancelled."
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"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority."
"Our teams will be in contact with all affected customers and are working hard to rebook them onto alternative services as quickly as possible."
