More than 200 passengers aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to Mumbai have been stranded at Turkey’s Diyarbakir Airport for nearly 40 hours. The flight, VS358, was forced to make an emergency landing on April 2 due to a medical emergency on board. After the unscheduled landing, the aircraft reportedly encountered a technical issue that has since grounded the flight.
A Virgin Atlantic flight (VS358) that took off from London Heathrow to Mumbai on 2nd April was diverted to Diyarbakır Airport in Turkey due to an urgent medical reason. After receiving the necessary technical approvals, the flight will resume its onward journey to Mumbai from…
— ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2025
Virgin Atlantic confirmed in a statement that the aircraft is undergoing technical inspection and that they are working with authorities to resume the journey as soon as possible.
“If approvals are not received, we plan instead to provide a bus transfer for customers to an alternative aircraft at another Turkish airport tomorrow to complete our customers’ journey to Mumbai,” a spokesperson said.
In the meantime, the airline assured that affected passengers are being accommodated in nearby hotels and provided with meals and refreshments. Though the authorities took efforts to clear the stranded passengers, many irate travelers took to social media to post their experience.
My family along with 250+ passengers have been inhumanely treated by @virginatlantic .
Why is this chaos not being covered in the @BBCWorld or global media?? Over 30 hours confined at a military airport in Turkey.
In contact with the @ukinturkiye to please more pressure needed pic.twitter.com/TIIHgE07bb— Hanuman Dass (@HanumanDassGD) April 3, 2025
Some shared pictures and videos of people sleeping on airport chairs and wrote about tough conditions, such as poor facilities and no heating assistance in sub-zero temperatures. A passenger informed the media that blankets were not distributed despite sub-zero temperatures, and there was only one working toilet for all stranded passengers.
The Indian Embassy in Ankara has stepped in to assist and is closely monitoring the situation.
Taking to social media platform X, the Embassy stated, “Embassy of India, Ankara is in constant communication with Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Diyarbakir Airport Directorate and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkiye. Through the Mission’s coordination, appropriate care is being extended to the passengers. We are in discussion with the relevant authorities regarding the early resolution of the issue and the arrangement of an alternate flight to Mumbai for the stranded passengers.”
As passengers await further updates, Virgin Atlantic reiterated its commitment to resolving the situation swiftly. The flight is now expected to depart Diyarbakir at 12:00 local time today, provided all technical and regulatory approvals are in place. The airline said they would continue to update customers as the situation evolves.
