Illness leaves 150 passengers quarantined

A VIRGIN Atlantic flight was grounded at Gatwick Airport on Wednesday after "150 passengers" fell sick on board.

The flight had returned from Barbados at 5.20am (4.20pm AEDT) when the plane was surrounded by police and medical crews, reports The Sun.

Passenger Phill Brown, from Lower Kingswood, told The Sun: "We had been on a two-week vacation around the Caribbean with MSC Preziosa when halfway through the flight, we heard disturbances with the crew.

"They asked over the tannoy to let them know if anyone felt ill on the flight.

He said passengers were then taken to a separate holding pen where they were held for four hours, with masked ground staff checking their passports and medics conducting tests with heart monitors.

Mr Brown, 47, explained: "People were saying different numbers of how many had been affected, with some saying 150, with approximately 16 ambulances being called.

"One policeman said a person had been taken to hospital."

However, he praised the ground crew and Virgin staff who were "fantastic" and making sure they were looked after.

He said passengers have since been allowed to leave the airport with a number of them collecting their baggage from a separate area of the airport.

According to London999, three passengers have been taken to hospital, with one couple still in quarantine.

Passenger Trevor Wilson posted a picture of the incident with emergency crew outside the plane.

He wrote on Twitter: "Currently been stuck on plane at #gatwick for 90 mins due to sickness on board! Now told we are being taken to a holding centre to be assessed!"

He explained five members of the cabin crew had also fallen ill on the flight.

According to LBC, the flight landed at 5:20am this morning, with police boarding "the plane in masks".

A Virgin spokesman told The Sun: "A number of customers on board a charter flight from Barbados to London Gatwick this morning (March 6th), reported feeling unwell on-board.

"The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our absolute priority, and local ambulance services attended the aircraft upon landing to provide medical assistance.

"We are working closely with London Gatwick Airport and medical teams to offer assistance to customers, and will conduct a full investigation into the circumstances."

This story was originally published in The Sun and is reprinted with permission.