New: Virgin flight lands at Gatwick

The plane has been circling for over three hours.

It is not yet known if anyone has been hurt.

A spokesman for Virgin Atlantic said it can confirm that flight VS43 has landed safely back at Gatwick.

“Our priority now is to look after our passengers and crew.”

The plane’s pilot and crew have been praised by people on social media who have been tracking its path.

A spokesman for Gatwick Airport said: “Plane landed safely. Emergency services are in attendance to ensure the passengers can disembark safely.”

A spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) was alerted to a potential incident at Gatwick Airport today (December 29) involving an aircraft which was forced to make an emergency landing.

“The Trust was alerted to a potential issue with a Virgin Atlantic flight at 12.45pm.

“The Trust has robust and well-rehearsed plans in place to manage such incidents and moved a number of vehicles into the area should they have been required, including our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) and specialist paramedics.

“As far as we are aware at present, no passengers or crew require medical attention, although some clinicians will remain on scene until the incident is closed.”