A USA-bound flight was forced to return to the UK just 40 minutes into the flight - reportedly because the pilot was a trainee.
The plane, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330 was headed to JFK Airport in New York from Heathrow in London.
Passengers found themselves touching down back in the UK after it was reported the first officer told the captain that he hadn't actually completed his last flying test, BirminghamLive reports.
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The flight then had to perform a U-turn over Ireland and head back.
A spokesman from Virgin Atlantic said: “Due to a rostering error, flight VS3 from London Heathrow to New York-JFK returned to Heathrow on Monday 2nd 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 two hours, 40 minutes later than scheduled as a result of the crew change.”
A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said: "Virgin Atlantic have made us aware of the incident. Both pilots were suitably licensed and qualified to undertake the flight."
The Sun quoted a source as saying: “The skipper had no choice but to go back to Heathrow and find a more experienced member of the crew. It was embarrassing for everyone and the passengers were furious.”
The first officer had joined Virgin in 2017, and was fully-qualified under UK aviation regulations.
However, he hadn't completed a final assessment flight, part of the airline's internal requirements.
Flight VS3 turned back as the captain had not been designated as a trainer. Control of an aircraft is usually shared between a first officer and the captain, but the latter holds ultimate responsibility for what happens on a flight.
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