More than 250 passengers, the majority of them Indian nationals, have been stuck at Diyarbakir Airport in Turkey for over 30 hours after a Mumbai-bound Virgin Atlantic flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday morning.
The flight, which took off from London’s Heathrow Airport, was originally scheduled to arrive in Mumbai at 1:40 AM on Thursday. However, a medical emergency onboard prompted an unscheduled landing at Diyarbakir Airport. Following this, a technical issue prevented the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft from resuming its journey, leaving passengers in limbo with no immediate resolution.
Limited Facilities Add to Passengers’ Plight
Diyarbakir Airport, a small military airport in southeastern Turkey, lacks adequate amenities, worsening the situation for stranded travelers. While the flight crew was accommodated in a hotel, passengers were confined to a restricted airport zone, facing challenges with food, restrooms, and phone charging facilities.
Preeti Sharma Menon, a leader from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), took to social media to highlight the grim conditions. She stated that the passengers lacked food, clean toilets, and even access to chargers for their phones. “Airport staff do not speak English, and passengers are struggling,” she shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Another affected individual, Sherilyn Fernandes, noted that her stranded relative had only received a single sandwich. She urged authorities to at least ensure access to basic necessities like food and water.
Additionally, reports emerged that airport staff were frustrated about the emergency landing and were demanding passengers’ passports. Families of those stranded expressed concerns as their loved ones’ phone batteries were running low, making communication difficult.
Virgin Atlantic’s Response
Acknowledging the crisis, Virgin Atlantic confirmed that the aircraft was undergoing technical assessments and that alternative arrangements were being considered.
“Our engineers are conducting thorough inspections of the aircraft, and we are actively exploring options, including deploying an alternate aircraft to complete the journey,” a spokesperson for the airline stated.
After nearly 24 hours without adequate facilities, passengers were finally moved to hotel accommodations. Virgin Atlantic assured that efforts were underway to resolve the issue and resume the flight.
According to the airline, the plane could take off for Mumbai by 12:00 PM local time if the necessary technical approvals were secured. If not, passengers would be transferred via bus to another Turkish airport, where an alternative aircraft would be arranged to take them to Mumbai. The airline pledged to keep passengers updated as the situation unfolded.
