A Virgin Atlantic flight bound for Jamaica was forced to turn back over the Atlantic Ocean after one of its engines failed mid-flight. The aircraft, carrying 246 passengers and 13 crew, had departed London Heathrow at 4:12pm on Saturday and was nearly three hours into its journey when the engine shut down.
The plane, en route to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, was left flying on a single engine. Pilots descended from 34,000 feet to a safer cruising altitude of 20,000 feet as they headed back towards Europe. Air traffic controllers guided the aircraft to Shannon Airport on the west coast of Ireland, a key emergency diversion point for transatlantic flights.
Emergency services were placed on high alert, with Shannon Airport's Fire and Rescue Service deploying multiple crash tenders along the runway. The National Ambulance Service, Gardaí, and Clare County Fire and Rescue Service also responded, while the Irish Coast Guard and an RNLI lifeboat were put on standby as a precaution.
The plane landed safely at Shannon at 9:24pm IST, approximately five hours after its departure. Emergency vehicles followed the aircraft as it taxied, and inspections confirmed no active fire. All passengers and crew disembarked without injury. Virgin Atlantic arranged a replacement flight to take stranded travellers onwards to Jamaica.
Engineers are now investigating the cause of the engine failure.
