London-bound Virgin Atlantic flight makes emergency landing as 'phone charger' sparks fire in first class cabin

Plane drama: passengers from the diverted jet queue to rebook flights at Boston Logan International airport

A Virgin Atlantic flight from New York to Heathrow was forced into an emergency landing 25 minutes after take-off as smoke began to fill the cabin.

The Airbus A330 plane was diverted to Boston airport when worried passengers reported the burning smell coming from the first-class cabin.

Bomb disposal officers who boarded the jet on the runway at Logan International airport discovered a phone battery charger sandwiched between the cushions of a seat.

All 217 passengers along with the crew on flight 138 from JFK airport were safely evacuated after landing.

Passenger Cory Tanner tweeted: “Everyone could smell the smoke but [we were] not told what the problem was until we landed. Once we landed all we were told was there is a fire in first class.”

Passengers on the Virgin Atlantic flight were evacuated (file image)
PA

He said they were kept waiting on the tarmac for a “good hour” breathing in the air before being let off and added: “Having to sit here in a smoky cabin while we wait for firefighters to board and check things out isn’t great. Shouldn’t the priority be to get everyone off the plane first?”

Passengers also complained about a lack of information as they waited to be rebooked onto alternative flights.

Sandeep Shantharam said: “Some of us might be stuck for days without tickets. Total craziness, no co-ordination.”

A police spokesman said: “Preliminary investigation suggests it is a battery pack consistent in appearance with an external phone charger.”

The Virgin Atlantic Flight 138 left John F Kennedy airport at about 8pm last night bound for Heathrow where it was due to arrive at about 7.20am.

Information from Flightaware showed the aircraft began to descend around 25 minutes after take-off, landing at Boston Logan International at 8.50pm.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic said: “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority… We’d like to thank our customers for their patience as we work with them to provide local accommodation or to rebook alternative flights.”

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