On May 2, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-300 (G-VWAG registered) departed from London Heathrow, United Kingdom, for New York JFK, United States. While flying over Ireland, the commander decided to return to London.
During the flight, the captain learned that his fellow co-pilot had not completed his flight training program. In fact, he needed another flight with an instructor commander to get his full qualification.
As a result, passengers and crew had to wait for a spare co-pilot to arrive. The aircraft took off for New York almost three hours late.
Virgin Atlantic acknowledged the mistake and added that it had been replaced with a new pilot to ensure full compliance with the airline's training protocols. The company apologized for the inconvenience caused to the passengers.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority was informed of the incident and confirmed that both pilots were properly licensed and qualified to perform the flight.