Virgin Atlantic flight turns back after discovering pilot trainee in cockpit

A Virgin Atlantic flight was forced to turn around after it was discovered one of the pilots had yet to complete his training.

Flight VS3 en route to New York turned around while flying over Ireland after taking off from London about an hour earlier.

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In an effort to replace the co-pilot with a more qualified officer, passengers aboard the flight were made to wait at Heathrow. They arrived in New York almost three hours later than their schedule.

The airline apologized for what it called a “rostering error” and assured passengers that flight safety was not compromised.

A spokesperson of Virgin said, “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.”

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An official at the Civil Aviation Authority also said it was notified of the incident by the airline and confirmed: “both pilots were suitably licensed and qualified to undertake the flight”.