Mumbai | April 5, 2025 — A Virgin Atlantic flight carrying more than 250 passengers, including several Indian nationals, finally landed in Mumbai late on April 4, following an unexpected 45-hour delay at a remote military airport in southeastern Turkey.
Flight VS358 departed London Heathrow at 11:40 a.m. local time on April 2 and was scheduled to arrive in Mumbai at 1:40 a.m. on April 3. However, the flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Diyarbakir Airport after a medical emergency involving a passenger.
The diversion to Diyarbakir—primarily a military airbase with limited infrastructure—left passengers stranded in challenging conditions. With minimal facilities, including limited seating and a single restroom, the passengers reportedly endured over a day without adequate food or accommodation.
“The Virgin Atlantic flight landed in Mumbai last night, after a 45-hour delay. Abandoned by the airline at the small remote military Diyarbakir Airport, the local staff had no resources to manage 270 passengers despite trying their best,” said Preeti Sharma Menon, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), whose sister and niece were among those affected.
According to Menon, it was only after the intervention of the Indian Consul in Turkey that passengers received food and temporary lodging, following nearly 26 hours of discomfort at the airport.
Social media posts from stranded passengers and their families painted a grim picture. Sanjay Shah, an X (formerly Twitter) user, shared that his family was left without basic necessities. “Why such cheap behaviour from a top aviation company? No food, no water. All the cabin crew vanished after landing,” he posted.
Another user, Sherilyn Fernandes, echoed the concerns, stating that her relative was given just one sandwich and limited communication. “If not anything, just provide water and food at least,” she wrote.
The airline issued a statement on April 3 acknowledging the disruption and stating it was “exploring all options,” including deploying a replacement aircraft to complete the journey.
Amid mounting pressure from Indian authorities, media outlets, and the families of passengers, Virgin Atlantic eventually arranged hotel accommodations and facilitated the onward journey to Mumbai. The flight arrived more than two days behind schedule.
The incident has raised concerns about contingency planning and passenger care during emergency diversions, particularly at facilities unequipped to handle large commercial aircraft.
Virgin Atlantic has yet to issue a comprehensive explanation or public apology regarding the delay and conditions faced by passengers.
.png)
The opinions posted here do not belong to 🔰www.indiansdaily.com. The author is solely responsible for the opinions.
As per the IT policy of the Central Government, insults against an individual, community, religion or country, defamatory and inflammatory remarks, obscene and vulgar language are punishable offenses. Legal action will be taken for such expressions of opinion.