Virgin passengers stranded in tiny airport after emergency landing

More than 250 passengers were stranded at Gander Airport in Newfoundland, Canada on Saturday when a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York made an emergency landing due to fuel problems.

The Daily Mail reports that the V225 from Heathrow to JFK had a "sudden fuelling issue and discrepancy" which forced the flight to land.

The passengers, including children, were stuck at the airport overnight as Virgin Atlantic could not find hotel accommodation.

A spokeswoman for the airline told the BBC: "Virgin Atlantic can confirm that flight VS25 from London Heathrow to New York JFK diverted to Gander due to a technical fault.

"Our engineers are on their way to the site to inspect the plane.

"The safety and welfare of passengers and crew is Virgin Atlantic's top priority. The airline would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused."

A message on Virgin Atlantic's Twitter account read: "Unfortunately, hotels in the local area are full - and despite our best efforts we've been unable to get any for customers or staff. Apologies for this."

But according to The Sun, stranded travellers took to Twitter and claimed that after doing an internet search they had found vacant hotels in the area.

Passenger Matt Roberts tweeted: "Virgin claims 'no rooms available' but simple Internet search proves that false."

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