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Bengaluru: A London-bound Virgin Atlantic flight with around 270 passengers on board returned to Bengaluru shortly after take-off on Sunday, September 6, after developing a technical problem.

The aircraft departed from Kempegowda International Airport in the morning. The issue emerged soon after takeoff, prompting the crew to circle the aircraft near Tumakuru for more than 30 minutes before turning back towards Bengaluru, according to an airport official.

The aircraft then made an emergency landing at Kempegowda International Airport as a safety precaution. Airport operator Bangalore International Airport Limited confirmed that all passengers on board were safe.

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The exact nature of the technical problem has not yet been disclosed. Airport authorities are looking into the incident to determine what caused the aircraft to return.

Crew detected issue soon after departure

The decision to turn back came after the crew detected the issue shortly after departure. Instead of continuing the journey to London, the aircraft remained in the vicinity of Tumakuru before returning to Bengaluru.

Flight-status information identifies the service as Virgin Atlantic VS317, a Bengaluru-London Heathrow operation scheduled from Terminal 2 at Kempegowda International Airport.

Current flight data lists the aircraft type as a Boeing 787-9 and records the September 6 departure at approximately 8.20 am.

A spokesperson of Virgin Atlantic said the flight from Bengaluru to London’s Heathrow Airport returned to Bengaluru shortly after departure due to a technical issue.

“The aircraft landed safely as a precaution, and the flight was subsequently cancelled,” he said in a statement.

The airlines said the safety and security of their customers and crew is always its top priority.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers. Our teams are supporting those affected and are working hard to rebook them onto alternative services as quickly as possible,” the airline said.

Founded by UK business magnate Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group retains the majority, 51 per cent, stake in the airline, while Delta Air Lines owns the remaining 49 per cent stake. The US airline acquired the stake in 2013 after it took over the share previously held by Singapore Airlines as part of a joint-venture transatlantic partnership.