A Virgin Atlantic flight scheduled to depart for New York faced a sudden cancellation just before takeoff.
The reason behind this unexpected turn of events was a passenger who noticed that several screws were missing from the plane’s wing.
Incident Details:
On January 15, a passenger named Phil Hardy, a 41-year-old British traveler, was aboard flight VS127 at Manchester Airport in the United Kingdom.
While on the plane, he spotted the missing screws on the wing and promptly alerted the cabin crew.
#World | A Virgin Atlantic flight from #Manchester to #NewYork was canceled after a passenger noticed missing screws on the plane’s wing just before takeoff. https://t.co/jBTcdwklED
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) January 23, 2024
Immediate Response:
Engineers were quickly called to perform maintenance checks on the Airbus A330 aircraft. A video shared on social media captured an engineer climbing onto the plane’s wing and using a screwdriver to address the issue.
Passenger Concerns:
Hardy, who initially spotted the missing screws, expressed his concern, saying, “I’m a good flyer, but my partner was not loving the information I was telling her and starting to panic, and I was trying to put her mind at rest as much as I could. I thought it was best to mention it to a flight attendant to be on the safe side.”
Airline’s Response:
The airline staff reassured Hardy that there was no safety issue with the wing.
However, given recent incidents in the aviation industry, including an Alaska Airlines plane losing a door plug mid-flight, Hardy’s concerns were understandable.
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Safety Precaution:
In response to the situation, the airline decided to cancel the flight. This cancellation was made to provide time for precautionary additional engineering maintenance checks, ensuring the safety of passengers and crew.
The airline emphasized that the safety of customers and crew is always their top priority, and it was not compromised at any point.
Resolution:
The airline representative stated, “We always work well above industry safety standards, and the aircraft is now back in service.” The incident underscores the airline’s commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards for its passengers and crew.