SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 26, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A flight from London to Los Angeles was diverted Tuesday afternoon to Salt Lake City International Airport due to “an unruly passenger,” airport officials said.
Virgin Atlantic flight VS141 from London’s Heathrow Airport to Los Angeles International Airport landed in Salt Lake City about 4:30 p.m. “after the crew reported a passenger disturbance onboard,” according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.
A passenger was removed from the plane by airline and airport security, airport officials said.
“I can confirm that the flight from London to LAX diverted to Salt Lake City, and it was because of an unruly passenger,” airport spokeswoman Nancy Volmer told Gephardt Daily. “I don’t know why they were unruly. … I know they were taken from the plane, and the plane continued on to L.A.”
Virgin Atlantic officials said the “disruptive passenger” was met by police at Salt Lake City International Airport.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we don’t tolerate any behaviour that compromises this,” according to a statement from the UK-based airline. “We always want our customers to have the best experience when they fly with us, and our cabin crew are highly trained to deal with any individuals that may impact that experience for others.”
The plane was on the ground in Salt Lake City for about three hours before resuming the flight to LAX, according to flight information.
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused to customers onboard,” the airline statement concludes.
Gephardt Daily will update this story with more information as it becomes available.
