Over 250 India-bound Virgin Atlantic flyers stuck at Turkish military airport with no food or toilets

Stranded at a remote military airport in southeastern Turkey, over 250 Virgin Atlantic passengers—many of them Indian—have gone nearly two days without proper food, water, or facilities. Their Mumbai-bound flight from London Heathrow was forced to make an emergency landing in Diyarbakır on Wednesday morning, and since then, the passengers have remained stuck in harsh conditions.

The Airbus A350-1000 was originally scheduled to land in Mumbai at 1:40 am on Thursday. However, after an onboard medical emergency led to the diversion, the aircraft reportedly developed a technical snag and could not resume its journey. Virgin Atlantic has yet to confirm a departure timeline.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said, “Our engineers are continuing their thorough assessments of the aircraft, and we are actively exploring all options including the operation of an alternative aircraft to ensure customers can reach Mumbai as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, distress calls from passengers are growing louder. One post on X pleaded, “More than 200 Indian passengers, including a pregnant woman, are stranded without water and basic facilities. Please intervene urgently.”

Preeti Sharma Menon, the Mumbai chief of the Aam Aadmi Party, said her sister and niece are among those stranded. She noted, “It’s been 24 hours and not a single airline representative has met the passengers. They have barely any food, one toilet amongst 275 pax, phones running out of batteries as they don’t have Turkish adapters. There are babies, pregnant women, diabetics and old people in this ordeal.”

Describing the location, she added, “Diyarbakir is small military airport with no shops, no amenities, not even adequate toilets. It has three staff members and none of them speaks English. Virgin Atlantic has not thought it necessary to provide basic hygiene or hospitality for over 24 hours.”

As frustration mounted online, the Indian Embassy in Turkey responded on X. @IndiaInTurkiye posted:

“Embassy of India, Ankara is in constant communication with Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Diyarbakir Airport Directorate and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkiye. Through Mission’s coordination, appropriate care is being extended to the passengers. We are in discussion with the related authorities for the early resolution of the issue and the arrangement of an alternate flight to Mumbai for the stranded passengers.”

Virgin Atlantic has also issued an update to affected travellers, informing them of the next steps.

In a message to passengers, the airline wrote: “We hope you are settling into your hotel and getting some much-needed rest. We are pleased to share that we are close to finalising a confirmed resolution for your onward journey… We can confirm that we will collect you from your hotel at 09:00 local time tomorrow morning to transport you to Diyarbakır Airport. Subject to us receiving the necessary technical approvals, the aircraft is planned to operate as the VS1358 to Mumbai, with a departure time of 12:00 local time.”

The airline added that if approvals are not received, passengers will be transported by bus to an alternative airport for a different Virgin Atlantic flight to Mumbai.

(With PTI inputs)