Virgin Atlantic Confirms 'Disruptive Passenger' Forced Emergency Flight Landing
‘DISRUPTIVE PASSENGER’
The first footage has been released of a “disruptive passenger” disembarking after forcing a flight, which was en route from London Heathrow to Los Angeles, to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City. The footage, obtained by Fox 13 News, shows the passenger being escorted off Virgin Flight VS141 at SLC Airport. They are seen accompanied by authorities as they make their way off the flight. Virgin Atlantic confirmed to The Daily Beast that reports the passenger attempted to breach the cockpit were “inaccurate.” Details of what exactly happened are unclear but Virgin Atlantic confirmed the incident in a statement. “Due to a disruptive passenger onboard flight VS141 operating from London Heathrow to Los Angeles on Tuesday 26 July, the aircraft diverted to Salt Lake City to be met by police authorities,” a spokesperson said. “The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we don’t tolerate any behavior that compromises this. We always want our customers to have the best experience when they fly with us and our cabin crew are highly trained to deal with any individuals that may impact that experience for others. The flight continued to Los Angeles arriving just before 20:00 local time with an arrival delay of approximately four hours. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to customers onboard.” The Daily Beast has contacted the Federal Aviation Administration for comment.