A Virgin Atlantic flight from Los Angeles declared an emergency while entering British airspace on Tuesday after a passenger fell seriously ill. The Airbus A350-1000, operating as flight VS8, transmitted a Squawk 7700 code – the international signal for a general emergency – while cruising at 39,000 feet.
The aircraft made an expedited descent towards London Heathrow Airport, where it was granted priority landing by air traffic control. Emergency services and ground crews were standing by as the plane landed at Terminal 3 at 10:06am, approximately ten minutes ahead of schedule.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating: “Flight VS8 from Los Angeles … requested a priority landing on approach to London Heathrow due to a customer becoming unwell onboard. The flight landed safely … where medical assistance was arranged on arrival.” The spokesperson added that the safety and wellbeing of customers and crew remain the airline’s top priority.
The incident comes days after a Jet2 flight from London Stansted to Tenerife South Airport declared an emergency on Saturday after a baby on board suffered breathing difficulties. Spanish air traffic controllers gave the flight priority landing, and the aircraft landed nine minutes early at 2:20pm. Controllers noted they shortened the approach while coordinating medical assistance, but it was not immediately clear if the baby was taken to hospital.
