Fifteen passengers injured during Gatwick-Orlando flight emergency
Fifteen passengers were injured, including a child, after a Virgin Atlantic flight headed to Orlando made an emergency landing at Gatwick airport.
Flight VS27 to Orlando was forced to return to the airport 90 minutes into the flight when a fire broke out in the hold.
All 229 passengers and 13 crew onboard immediately evacuated the aircraft via the emergency chutes. During the evacuation, several passengers sustained injuries, according to Sky News. One child broke its leg and there were other suspected fractures to backs, ankles and ribs. All 15 were taken to hospital.
The Airbus 330 aircraft blocked the runway for more than an hour, causing 26 incoming flights to be diverted to Stansted and departing aircraft to be delayed. Nine flights were cancelled.
Virgin Atlantic issued a statement saying the pilot had decided to return to Gatwick as a "precautionary measure" due to a technical problem onboard the aircraft.
It is understood that a fire onboard was put out with hand-held fire extinguishers carried in the cabin.
Virgin president Richard Branson later tweeted his apologies to passengers, who he said were being looked after at Gatwick.
Passengers who were onboard at the time told the BBC they could smell fuel during the flight. One said there was "a lot of hysterical screaming" when passengers tried to evacuate the aircraft.
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Suspension of all regional trains in Catalonia following two new rail accidents in Spain