This archive report was first published on 6 July 2019.
On Thursday night, a Virgin Atlantic flight from New York City to London was diverted to Boston's Logan International Airport after a small fire broke out in the first class cabin. The incident occurred just 30 minutes after the plane departed John F. Kennedy International Airport at 7:30 p.m.
According to passenger Cory Tanner, 28, who was aboard the flight, passengers smelled smoke coming from the first class cabin. The crew announced the aircraft would make an emergency landing in Boston, and a flight attendant told Tanner that the smoke was from a TV unit that caught fire in the first class cabin.
Firefighters inspected the fire before the passengers deplaned, and it was described as 'oddly calm' with no big commotion. The 217 passengers on board were safely evacuated, and they are waiting for a replacement aircraft.
Virgin Atlantic Airways released a statement saying that an incident aboard the flight led to the plane being diverted as a precaution. The airline did not provide any details on the cause of the fire, but stated that their cabin crew are trained to a high standard and acted quickly to deal with the situation.
Published on July 6, 2019, at 1:19 p.m.
