By Aritra Banerjee
Virgin Atlantic Flight VS3 was turned back mid-flight to London’s Heathrow airport, allegedly because one of the pilots on board had failed to complete their training. According to FlightRadar24, a flight-tracking website, the flight which had taken off from Heathrow airport and was scheduled to land at John F. Kennedy airport in New York was asked to turn back while flying over Ireland. “VS3 was operated on an Airbus A330 aircraft. The aircraft took off from Heathrow at 9:41 BST. The turnback was initiated at 10:19. VS3 landed back at Heathrow at 11:12 BST,” Virgin Atlantic told IA&D.
According to initial media reports, the first officer onboard the aircraft had not completed their final assessment flight; this is a requirement from the airline’s side; however, no safety mandates issued by United Kingdom aviation regulators seem to have been violated. “Virgin Atlantic have made us aware of the incident. Both pilots were suitably licensed and qualified to undertake the flight,” said a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson speaking about this development.
When asked about the development, Virgin Atlantic told IA&D: “Both pilots were fully licensed and qualified to operate the aircraft, but it is correct to say that flight VS3 operating from Heathrow to New York-JFK on Monday 2 May returned to Heathrow after it was established that the Captain was not designated trainer status. The pairing of pilots was not in breach of any aviation or safety regulations, but it wasn’t compliant with Virgin Atlantic’s internal training protocols, hence our decision to turn back.”
“Due to a rostering error, flight VS3 from London Heathrow to New York-JFK returned to Heathrow on Monday 2 May shortly after take-off. 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. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers who arrived 2 hours 40 minutes later than scheduled as a result of the crew change,” the airline clarified.
Virgin Atlantic also maintained: “The Captain on VS3 is a highly experienced pilot, completing many thousands of hours of flight time during 17 years at Virgin Atlantic. The first officer joined in 2017 and is trained, fully licensed and fully type-rated in accordance with UK regulation, but was pending a ‘final assessment’ flight. Our internal processes have been reviewed and updated to avoid any repeat occurrence.
Virgin Atlantic further told IA&D that to be qualified to fly the aircraft, an individual must possess an aircraft type rating along with a valid licence proficiency check. The first officer had these. With the type rating and licence proficiency check, a pilot can legally and safely operate the aircraft in any geographical area worldwide. “We, Virgin Atlantic, devise a line training programme that suits our mode of operation and utilises procedures that are unique to us, going above and beyond industry standards and aviation regulations,” they explained.
“We train these procedures in the first eight flights to ensure a seamless integration with our style of operation. The ‘final assessment flight’ is a company requirement to ensure that the individual operates using our specific methodology. This individual was recommended as ready for his final assessment flight on their previous flight, having completed 12 recent flights on the A330 after his complete simulator and classroom training programme. The individual was safe and competent to operate the flight. The decision for the aircraft to return to Heathrow was made based on our own internal compliance requirements.”
Following the return of the flight to Heathrow airport, a new pilot was assigned, following which the flight took off for its intended destination. Virgin Atlantic claimed that the qualified first officer, flying alongside an experienced captain, was replaced with a new pilot to ensure full compliance with the airlines’ training protocols, which go beyond industry standards.
