The Airbus A330-300 was grounded over mechanical issues

Aug 21, 2013 13:53 GMT  ·  By

A Virgin Atlantic Flight just got delayed a good 19 hours, while passengers passed the night in an airport.

According to WABC, the flight in question is number VS25 from London's Heathrow Airport to JFK in New York.

The Airbus A330-300 took off on Saturday but was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Canada.

250 passengers were on the flight when it landed in Gander airport, Newfoundland. The pilots reported mechanical issues to traffic control operators.

"Yes, we have a fuel leak, suspected fuel leak. [...] We temporarily got our number 2 engine on the right side wing shut down to try and establish the cause of the leak," one of them said, according to control tower transcripts.

According to passenger Anna Ninan, no hotels were available and passengers were left trying to accommodate themselves in the small airport.

"People were sleeping on the floor of the bathroom and on the counters in the bathroom, all over the floor in the airport," she describes.

"Been sitting on linoleum floor in Gandy for hours now and plane hasn't left London. Where are our hotel rooms? Unacceptable" another passenger wrote on Twitter.

Virgin Atlantic confirms that the flight was grounded overnight on August 17 and mentions offering a replacement on the next day.

To make up for the inconvenience, the airline has offered to pay for return tickets at a date of their guests' choosing.

"The safety and welfare of passengers and crew is Virgin Atlantic's top priority.

"The airline would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused. Due to the exceptional circumstances, as a gesture of goodwill we are offering all passengers a complimentary return flight with Virgin Atlantic for use at a later date," they express in a statement to Huffington Post.