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| VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRBUS A340-642 G-VBUG (MSN 0804) File Photo |
On Monday the 2nd May flight VS3 was around 40 minutes into the journey when a "rostering error" emerged, leading to the flight returning to London, an airline spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. The first officer joined the company in 2017 and is qualified in accordance with UK flight regulations, but needed to complete the airline's internal "final assessment" flight, the statement said. Virgin Atlantic said the flight's captain, who's "highly experienced" and has been with Virgin Atlantic for 17 years, did not have the designated trainer status, and the first officer was replaced with a new pilot. The company said both pilots were fully licensed and qualified to operate the aircraft, and the pairing did not not breach aviation or safety regulations.
However, the airline said the situation was not compliant with Virgin Atlantic's internal training protocols, prompting the decision to turn back.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said in a statement: "Due to a rostering error, flight VS3 from London Heathrow to New York-JFK returned to Heathrow shortly after take-off.
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| Image from Flightradar24 |
"The qualified first officer, who was flying alongside an experienced captain, was replaced with a new pilot to ensure full compliance with Virgin Atlantic's training protocols, which exceed industry standards." Passengers on the flight arrived in New York 2 hours 40 minutes later than scheduled, which the airline spokesperson apologised for.
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that "both pilots were suitably licensed and qualified to undertake the flight."
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that "both pilots were suitably licensed and qualified to undertake the flight."
Aircraft Information:
Airline: Virgin Atlantic
Code: VS/VIR
Aircraft: Airbus A330-343
Registration: G-VWAG
Serial Number: 1341
First Flew: 19/09/2012
Age: 9.6 Yrs
Engines: 2 x RR Trent 772B-60
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