Firefighters called to "full emergency" at Gatwick Airport

Firefighters were called to Gatwick Airport yesterday after a pilot had reportedly taken ill.

According to Crawley News, two fire engines from Crawley Fire Station and on from East Grinstead attended the "full emergency".

A West Sussex Fire and Rescue spokesman said that a pilot onboard a plane due to land at the airport had been "taken ill".

It's been an eventful week at Gatwick Airport.

A Virgin Atlantic plane was forced to make an emergency landing at the airport last week after a technical fault occured with one of its landing gears.

The aircraft had been travelling to Las Vegas when the pilot made the decision to turn back, reports the Evening Standard.

A spokesman for Gatwick Airport said "We can confirm that Virgin Atlantic flight VS043 departed is returning to Gatwick after the aircraft developed a technical fault.

"In line with standard procedure, emergency services are on standby at the airport purely as a precaution."

Virgin Atlantic president Sir Richard Branson took to Twitter to praise the pilot and crew on board the jumbo jet.

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