Over 250 passengers aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to Mumbai, many of them being Indians, have been stranded at Turkey’s Diyarbakir airport for more than 40 hours. A representative from the airline stated that flight VS358 from London to Mumbai on April 2nd was cancelled because of an “emergency medical diversion” to Diyarbakir airport. Upon landing, the plane experienced a technical problem and is currently under inspection.
“Our customers’ and crew’s safety and security is our top priority, and we genuinely regret any inconvenience this may have caused. Subject to receiving the required technical approvals, we will operate flight VS1358 to Mumbai from Diyarbakir Airport at 12:00 local time on Friday, April 4th,” stated the Virgin Atlantic representative.
The airline stated, “If we do not obtain approvals, we will arrange a bus transfer for customers to another aircraft at a different Turkish airport tomorrow to finish their trip to Mumbai. Currently, travelers are being offered overnight lodging and refreshments in Turkey as we strive for a solution, and we will update all customers promptly as new updates will be available,” Virgin Atlantic stated.
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Stuck travelers and their relatives have turned to social media to highlight the problems they are encountering. Numerous passengers expressed dissatisfaction with the lone toilet available for the approximately 300 travelers as they waited at the airport.
A traveler informed news agency PTI that no blankets had been given to the passengers to withstand the single-digit temperatures. Images depicted travelers slumped in airport chairs, clearly distressed by the holdup and unpredictability following the interruption.
The Indian Embassy in Ankara has said that it is closely monitoring the whole situation.
