Virgin Atlantic flight Manchester: Plane heading to Barbados quickly forced to return after 'dense smoke' fills cockpit

A Virgin Atlantic plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Manchester Airport after the cockpit of the jet reportedly filled with “dense acrid smoke”. The Virgin Atlantic flight took off from Manchester at around 1pm yesterday (Sunday 7 January) before it issued a squawk emergency call 20 minutes later over the Irish Sea.

Flight VS77 was heading to the Barbados capital Bridgetown but had to return after reports of a technical issue. Aviation website AirLive reported there were unconfirmed reports of "smoke in the cockpit".

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: "The VS77 from Manchester to Barbados has returned to Manchester due to a technical issue. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. We'll ensure our customers can complete their travel plans and keep them updated directly on next steps."

Firefighters were called after the plane landed at Manchester Airport at around 1.30pm. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue said three crews ensured the safety of the plane and its passengers.

A spokesperson for the service told Manchester Evening News: "At just after 1.30pm today (Sunday), firefighters were called to an incident involving an aircraft making an emergency landing at Manchester Airport. Three fire engines from Wythenshawe and Stockport, the Technical Response Unit from Ashton and the Command Support Unit from Hyde arrived quickly at the scene.

"Working alongside Manchester Airport fire personnel, firefighters were on standby for the aircraft's arrival, which landed safely. Our crews were in attendance for approximately one and a half hours."

AirLive later updated its website saying "pilots are reporting dense and acrid smell of smoke on air traffic control" adding that the flight had "landed safely on runway 05R, met by fire engines to cool the brakes". Transponder data reported by FlightRadar suggested the plane flew over Rhyl in Wales at an altitude of approximately 9,000 feet – half the altitude it was at when it flew out in the opposite direction.

Passengers on the flight took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to ask Virgin Atlantic for help. One user wrote: “Any chance you can let us know what is happening with VS78 from Barbados tonight now it is cancelled? When will I be able to get back?”. Virgin Atlantic said in a statement to MailOnline: “The flight has now been cancelled and all affected customers will be rebooked on alternative flights.”