A Virgin Atlantic transatlantic flight bound for London Heathrow was forced to make an emergency diversion to Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) early Tuesday morning following reports of smoke in the cabin.
HALIFAX, NS — Virgin Atlantic flight VS148, which departed Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) late Monday evening, was just beginning its crossing over the Atlantic Ocean when crew members detected a smoke smell inside the aircraft.
According to flight tracking data, the aircraft (a twin-engine Airbus A350-1000, registered as G-VLIB) promptly turned around and headed for the nearest major airport. The widebody jet touched down safely in Halifax at approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes after its initial departure from Toronto. Emergency ground crews met the aircraft upon landing as a standard precautionary measure, and passengers were safely deplaned without further incident.
In a statement, Virgin Atlantic confirmed the diversion was due to a technical issue:
“The VS148 operating from Toronto to London Heathrow on June 1st diverted to Halifax, Canada, on the morning of June 2nd after a technical issue resulted in a smoke smell in the cabin. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and the aircraft landed safely.”
To get the stranded passengers to their final destination, Virgin Atlantic dispatched a replacement aircraft (registration G-VCRU) to Halifax. The recovery flight, operating under the flight number VIR148A (VS1148), boarded the passengers and departed Halifax for London Heathrow on Tuesday evening. It is currently airborne and crossing the Atlantic.
The diverted Airbus A350 remains in Halifax, where maintenance teams are inspecting the aircraft to determine the source of the smoke smell. Virgin Atlantic apologized to affected passengers for the delay to their journeys.
