Jamaica-bound Virgin Atlantic jet lands safely in Ireland after engine failure

Virgin Atlantic passengers heading to Jamaica had their trip interrupted on Saturday when an engine fault sent their flight into Shannon Airport in Ireland during a North Atlantic crossing.

VS165 left London Heathrow on Saturday afternoon for Montego Bay with 246 passengers and 13 crew members aboard. The Airbus A330-900neo had been flying at 34,000 feet for nearly three hours when the crew identified trouble with one of the aircraft's engines.

According to the St Vincent Times, the pilots switched off the right-hand Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engine as a safety measure and kept the aircraft moving on the remaining engine. The jet later dropped to 20,000 feet and turned back towards Europe.

Air traffic controllers routed the aircraft to Shannon Airport in western Ireland, which serves as an important diversion point for transatlantic flights. The report said airport fire crews, ambulance teams, police and local fire units were put in place before the aircraft arrived.

The St Vincent Times reported that the plane touched down safely at Shannon at about 9:24 pm local time, roughly five hours after leaving London. Emergency vehicles accompanied the aircraft after landing, but checks found no fire or other immediate threat.

All 246 passengers and 13 crew members got off the aircraft safely, with no injuries reported. Virgin Atlantic is reportedly arranging another aircraft to take the passengers on to Montego Bay, while engineers examine what caused the engine problem on the aircraft, registered G-VTOM.