Pictures show fire crews surround Virgin Atlantic plane on Manchester Airport runway after New York U-turn
The VS3 flight, from London Heathrow to JFK in New York departed from the capital on Thursday morning, before the plane made a U-turn mid-flight and returned to the UK.
The flight path, as shown by FlightRadar24, shows how the plane turned around at four hours into the journey, when just off the east coast of the USA. The pilot then flew back over the Atlantic and landed in Manchester at around 5pm.
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As a precautionary measure, multiple Manchester Airport fire engines surrounded the plane on the tarmac before it was taken to an arrivals gate. The images were taken from a live stream by aviation channel Drones and Planes.
Virgin Atlantic said the emergency diversion was a 'precautionary measure' due to a 'technical issue'. Passengers had been on board the aircraft for around nine hours when it returned to the UK. Those on board were put up in hotels overnight, as the airline apologised for the delay and inconvenience to passengers
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: 'As a precautionary measure, the VS3 from London Heathrow to New York JFK on 6th March has returned to the UK due to a technical issue.
"The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and our teams are working hard to ensure our customers can continue on their journey as soon as possible. We sincerely apologise for the delay and any inconvenience caused.'
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