Virgin Atlantic flight VS8 from Los Angeles declared a general emergency while entering British airspace on Tuesday after a passenger suffered a serious medical incident. The aircraft, an Airbus A350-1000, transmitted the international Squawk 7700 code while cruising at 39,000 feet.
The crew initiated an expedited descent towards London Heathrow Airport, where air traffic control granted priority landing. Flight-tracking data shows the plane landed at Terminal 3 at 10:06am, approximately 10 minutes ahead of schedule, with emergency services and ground crews waiting.
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 and medical assistance was arranged on arrival. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our top priority.'
In a separate incident on Saturday, a Jet2 flight from London Stansted to Tenerife South was given priority landing after a baby on board experienced breathing difficulties. Spanish air traffic controllers shortened the aircraft's approach and coordinated medical assistance on the ground.
Virgin Atlantic, Britain's second-largest carrier, operates transatlantic routes from Heathrow to destinations including New York, Orlando and Delhi. The company is headquartered in Crawley, West Sussex.
