Plane in Gatwick emergency landing (From Romsey Advertiser)

Plane in Gatwick emergency landing

1:19pm Monday 16th April 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

Flights in and out of Gatwick have been suspended after an aircraft was forced to make a full emergency landing due to a "technical issue".

The Virgin A330 had left Gatwick bound for Orlando when it had to return to make the landing.

A Gatwick Airport spokeswoman said: "It has made a safe emergency landing, the emergency services are on the scene and the aircraft is safe and passengers are being disembarked.

"Because the aircraft is on the runway all flights in and out of Gatwick are suspended until further notice."

A statement from Virgin Atlantic confirmed that flight VS27 from Gatwick to Orlando had returned to the airport and been evacuated.

It said: "Due to a technical problem on board the aircraft, the captain decided as a precautionary measure to immediately evacuate the aircraft.

"Our teams at Gatwick are now looking after our passengers and assisting with their immediate requirements. The safety and welfare of our crew and passengers is Virgin Atlantic's top priority."

The airline said the Airbus A330-300 aircraft had 13 crew and 299 passengers on board.

A Gatwick spokeswoman said the passengers involved were being looked after in a specially set-up reception area at the airport.

Some incoming flights have been diverted, with some now landing at Stansted Airport in Essex instead. It was not known just how long it would be before the plane could be moved from the runway and normal take-offs and landings could resume.