Virgin Atlantic Flight Stranded in Turkey for 16 Hours

Post by: Layla Badr

Photo: Reuters

A Virgin Atlantic flight flying from London to Mumbai had to make an emergency landing at Turkey's Diyarbakir Airport (DIY), as reported by News18 on Thursday. The sudden landing left more than 200 Indian passengers stuck at the airport for over 16 hours.

The flight, numbered VS 358, was forced to land because a passenger had a medical emergency — a panic attack. However, after the plane landed, the passengers were told that the aircraft also faced a technical issue while landing.

Diyarbakir Airport is not well-equipped to handle large international planes like the one Virgin Atlantic uses. A passenger told the media that the airport didn’t have the proper facilities for such a big flight, making things harder for everyone onboard.

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Many passengers complained that they were kept in the dark about what was going on. One passenger said, “We have been stuck here in a nearly empty terminal with no clear updates. There are women, children, and some sick people with us. Apart from two printed notices that we received yesterday evening, we’ve heard nothing. It's been almost 14 hours since we landed.”

Another person on social media, Satyam Surana, shared that Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had promised help. Also, the Ministry of Civil Aviation appointed a special officer to take care of the situation.

So far, Virgin Atlantic has not given a clear plan for when or how the passengers will continue their journey to Mumbai.

A Similar Case with Air India Last Month

In a different incident last month, an Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi (Flight AI126) had to return to Chicago after takeoff. The reason? Most of the toilets on the plane stopped working.

The airline explained that the toilets got blocked because people had flushed things like plastic bags, cloth rags, and even clothes down the toilet. During the plane’s check-up, maintenance workers found strange objects in the pipes. Air India pointed out that passengers need to use the lavatories properly and only for what they are meant for.

The airline also said that in past flights, crews have found items like blankets, undergarments, and diapers in the toilet system — all things that should never be flushed.

Both incidents show how important it is for airlines to manage emergencies well and for passengers to follow the basic rules during a flight.

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