Sir Richard Branson yesterday added to the heartfelt thanks expressed by terrified passengers to the crew of a stricken Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet that landed safely at Gatwick airport.
Passengers on the packed Boeing 747 burst into applause as the plane, suffering from a major landing-gear fault, successfully touched down at the West Sussex airport in the afternoon. The travellers, who had had to get into the brace position, spoke of a “textbook landing” and praised the calmness of the cabin crew and the cockpit crew, who had got the Las Vegas-bound plane down safely despite one of the aircraft’s five sets of landing gear not deploying.
Sir Richard, the Virgin president, said on Twitter: “Well done VirginAtlantic pilots & team for safe & skillful landing of VS43. Thoughts with passengers & crew, thanks for support & patience.”
A spokesman for Gatwick airport said that all the passengers had disembarked from the plane and that “some minor injuries” had been reported. The runway at Gatwick was closed until at least 6pm with incoming flights diverted and departing ones delayed.
Emergency services had been on standby as the giant aircraft, with 447 passengers and 15 crew aboard, came in to land. Describing the mood on the plane, Dan Crane, 24, from Worcestershire, said it was “anxious, a lot were worried, some crying. The mood was quiet and we were just waiting for the captain’s next announcement.”
Crane, who was with family and friends, said the crew kept everyone informed, adding: “They said it was an emergency landing and we had to brace on impact.”
Mike Kaufman, speaking from his seat on the plane back at Gatwick, said: “This was one of the greatest emergency landings in history. It was very smooth.”
He praised the pilots and the cabin crew, saying the landing had been “textbook”.
Interviewed for Sky News, he went on: “We didn’t realise there would be such a fuss. It was such a calm experience. About half an hour out they said we would have to go back to Gatwick. They said it was a hydraulic problem. The fact everything went so well shows just how professional the flight crew were. The crew were calm.”
A spokesman for British pilots’ organisation Balpa said: “Pilots train hard for exactly this kind of situation. It goes to show that well-trained pilots are vital.”