Passenger jet forced to make emergency landing after 'engine fails' on flight from Heathrow to New York

• .London Heathrow to New York John F. Kennedy Airport flight diverted
• .More than 250 people including children said to be stranded in Gander
• .Virgin Atlantic apologises and says its plane suffered 'technical fault'
• .Airline says all passengers and crew had to stay at airport overnight

EXCLUSIVE By MARK DUELL

Virgin Atlantic passengers and crew travelling from London to New York have been stranded overnight in a small Canadian airport after making an emergency landing.

More than 250 people including children were said to be stuck at Gander Airport in Newfoundland after a 'sudden fuelling issue and discrepancy' forced the plane to land, one passenger revealed.

The problem was with flight VS25 from London Heathrow to New York John F. Kennedy Airport, and a replacement aircraft was being sent to take the crew and passengers onto their final destination.

Blankets required: Passengers were forced to sleep overnight at Gander Airport in Newfoundland, Canada

Getting some sleep: Passenger Matt Roberts, who took this photograph, said people had been forced to sleep in the airport terminal because Virgin officials said there were no rooms available in local hotels

Visit: Gander, where the passengers were stranded, is a town in Canada with a population of around 10,000

Matt Roberts said on Twitter: 'Stuck at Gander Airport,Newfoundland.#Virgin 25 #Heathrow - NY put us here; claimed mechanical problems, then said it was low fuel #stranded.'

He added that passengers had been forced to sleep in the airport terminal because Virgin officials said there were no rooms available in local hotels.

 

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Sara Davar added: '#Stranded @VirginAtlantic flight VS25 from LDN had to emergency land in Gander, Canada due to technical issues.'

Another passenger on the ground told MailOnline that they had been informed engine failure caused the plane to make the diversion to Gander, a town with a population of around 10,000.

He added: 'We were told not to worry, so we were all fine about it. The captain announced about five minutes before landing that we would be met by flashing blues from the emergency services and that this is standard when a flight is diverted to another airport with technical problems.'

On the ground: The problem was with flight VS25 from London Heathrow to New York JFK Airport, and a replacement aircraft was being sent to take the crew and passengers onto their final destination (file picture)

Stranded: More than 250 people including children were said to be stuck at Gander Airport (file picture) in Newfoundland after a 'sudden fuelling issue and discrepancy' forced the plane to land, one passenger said

A spokesman for Virgin Atlantic told MailOnline: 'Virgin Atlantic can confirm that the VS25 departing London Heathrow on August 17 for New York JFK diverted to Gander due to a technical fault.

'We have engineers en route to the aircraft to investigate the nature of the issue'

Virgin Atlantic

'All passengers and crew remained at Gander overnight on August 17 and a replacement aircraft will take them to their destination today (August 18).

'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.'

She later added: 'We have engineers en route to the aircraft to investigate the nature of the issue.'

A message on the airline's Twitter account said: '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.'