Saturday 26 / April / 2025
Mumbai : A Virgin Atlantic flight (VS358) that took off from London's Heathrow Airport to Mumbai on April 2 was diverted to Diyarbakir Airport in Turkey after a medical emergency on board.
After receiving the necessary technical approvals, the flight will resume its onward journey to Mumbai from Diyarbakir Airport at 12:00 local time today, as per the airlines.
The flight had over 200 passengers on board.
A Virgin Atlantic flight spokesperson said, "If approvals are not received, we plan instead to provide a bus transfer for customers to an alternative aircraft at another Turkish airport tomorrow to complete our customer's journey to Mumbai."
"In the meantime, passengers are being provided with overnight hotel accommodation and refreshments in Turkey while we work towards a resolution, and we will keep all customers informed as soon as new updates become available," the spokesperson said.
The Airbus A350-1000 was originally scheduled to land in Mumbai at 1:40 am on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Ankara, in response to a passenger, took to X to assure the passenger that it is in constant communication with the Airline.
"Embassy of India, Ankara is in constant communication with Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Diyarbakir Airport Directorate and Ministry of Foreign Afaiirs, Turkiye. Through the Mission's coordination, appropriate care is being extended to the passengers. We are in discussion with the relevant authorities regarding the early resolution of the issue and the arrangement of an alternate flight to Mumbai for the stranded passengers," the official X account of the Embassy in India in Ankara said.
