A plane bound for New York was forced to return to London mid-flight after the co-pilot was found to be improperly trained.
Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A330 was on a flight to JFK Airport on Monday May 2nd. After about 40 minutes it was discovered that the first officer (also co-pilot) had not yet completed his training. The passengers were safely returned to Heathrow.
The co-pilot himself had previously informed the captain that he had not yet completed his last flight test.
He has been with Virgin Atlantic since 2017.
An airline spokesman described the error as a “rostering error” after the plane turned around over Ireland.
“The qualified first officer, who flew alongside an experienced captain, was replaced with a new pilot to ensure compliance with Virgin Atlantic’s training protocols, which exceed industry standards,” Virgin said in a statement.
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers who arrived two hours and 40 minutes later than planned due to the crew change.”
Passengers expressed anger at the incident, which impacted other flights and connections.
“It was embarrassing for everyone and the passengers were angry,” a source told The Sun.
Britain’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, said it had been briefed on the incident. “Both pilots held the required license and qualifications to conduct the flight,” it said.
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