Virgin Atlantic flight stranded in Turkey for over twenty hours after medical diversion

Virgin Atlantic flight VS358 from London Heathrow to Mumbai was stranded for more than 20 hours at Diyarbakir Airport, Turkey, following an emergency medical diversion. The Airbus A350, registered as G-VTEA, made an unscheduled landing on April 2 after a passenger reportedly suffered a panic attack mid-flight.

Following the landing, the aircraft was subject to mandatory technical inspections, further delaying the flight. Passengers, including a four-month pregnant woman and individuals with medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, reported challenging conditions at the airport.

According to multiple passengers, the situation was dire. They claim to have received inadequate food, with some stating they had not had a proper meal in over 16 hours. Others noted that there was limited access to toilets, only one charging station for mobile phones, and paid Wi-Fi, making it difficult to contact family members.

A middle-aged passenger returning to Mumbai after visiting her daughter in London said, “We have been here for almost a day, and there has been no clear communication from the airline. We landed at 8:30 PM (IST), and it was only after 14 hours that we received a beverage.”

A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic apologised for the inconvenience, stating: “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority. We are urgently looking at all available options to ensure our customers can continue their journeys to Mumbai as quickly as possible, while our engineers complete the necessary technical inspections.”

While some passengers expressed frustration over the lack of updates from the airline, Virgin Atlantic assured them that it would provide further information as soon as possible.