London-Mumbai Virgin Atlantic Flight Makes Emergency Landing; 300 Stranded in Turkey for 14 Hours with No Aid

More than 300 passengers, the majority of them Indian, have been stranded at remote Diyarbakir Airport (DIY) in Turkey for over 12 hours after Virgin Atlantic flight VS 358 from London to Mumbai had to make an unscheduled landing due to operational reasons.

Frustration is mounting among the passengers, many of whom include families with young children and elderly passengers, as they remain without clear information about their onward journey. The airline has also not announced any alternate arrangements yet.

“Just received a call from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. I also brought the issue to the notice of Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol and CM Devendra Fadnavis . The Ministry has assured that they have appointed an officer and all of possible efforts are being made to bring these passengers back," Advocate Satyam Surana told Republic.

“We've been sitting here for hours without any proper updates. There are families struggling in this situation,” one passenger said.

Despite the long wait, Virgin Atlantic has yet to provide a confirmed plan for their onward travel to Mumbai. Passengers are urging the airline and relevant authorities to arrange alternative transportation as soon as possible.

“We have been left stranded in a semi-empty terminal building with no communication. We have little children, women, few sick people and we have no information apart from two handouts which was sent shared yesterday evening. It's almost 14 hours since we have landed,” another passenger shared the ordeal.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told Republic that the VS358 flight from London Heathrow to Mumbai on April 2 was cancelled due to an urgent medical diversion to Diyarbakır Airport in Turkey and subsequent technical inspections were required. “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we apologise for the inconvenience caused. We are urgently looking at all available options to ensure our customers can continue their journeys to Mumbai as quickly as possible, while our engineers carry out the necessary technical inspections of the aircraft. As soon as we have updated information, we will communicate to all customers involved,” he added.