Virgin flight forced to turn around after pilot's shocking announcement

A plane travelling to New York from London made a swift u-turn mid-flight after the co-pilot reportedly made a shocking announcement.

The Virgin Atlantic plane was just 40 minutes into the journey and flying over Ireland on Monday when the captain learned the first officer hadn't completed his pilot training ahead of boarding the flight.

The co-pilot revealed he hadn't sat his final flight assessment, yet he was somehow rostered on to work, it's been reported.

The pilot was forced to head back to Heathrow airport in London and ground the plane until a suitable replacement was found, with the delay leaving passengers frustrated.

Virgin Atlantic has apologised for Monday’s blunder, blaming the incident on a roster error.

The caption was not qualified to fly with a co-pilot who had not completed Virgin Atlantic training protocols, the airline said.

Although the captain is "highly experienced" with "many thousands of hours of flight time during 17 years at Virgin Atlantic", he is not a designated trainer, an airline representative told The Post.

A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman told UK media that both crew members were fully licensed and qualified to operate the aircraft.

But the incomplete assessment is a company requirement to ensure that a pilot uses the carrier’s specific methodology.

Extensive delays for frustrated passengers

Passengers were forced to wait on board the plane as it sat on the tarmac until a replacement co-pilot arrived.

The delay meant the flight arrived in New York two hours and forty minutes later than expected. Passengers were not compensated for the disruption because it was less than four hours, according to reports.

Passengers were reportedly furious and demanded answers after noticing the plane they were on suddenly turned around and headed back in the direction from which it came.

Julie and Marc Vincent, from the UK, said passengers were told the return to Heathrow airport was due to an "administration error".

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"We’d just cleared the west coast of Ireland when the captain announced, 'You may have noticed that we have conducted a 180-degree turn' ... and that they needed to get some paperwork signed off legally to be able to continue our journey,” Mrs Vincent told the Daily Mail.

She said "panic did set in onboard" with people "pacing up and down," desperately trying to search for answers.

Flight attendants reportedly started serving meals to kill the time. But the food service was cut short when the replacement pilot arrived.

A source told The Sun "you could have cut the tension in the cockpit with a knife".

"The skipper had no choice but to go back to Heathrow and find a more experienced member of the crew. It was embarrassing for everyone and the passengers were furious," they said.

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