Virgin flight turns back to replace pilot who’d not done final flying test

The first officer of the Virgin Atlantic flight did not complete his final flying test.

The airline said that the two pilots on board became aware of the rostering error when the plane was nearly 40 minutes into its journey to New York.

After it took off, the plane flew over Ireland before returning to the airport.

The plane left again for New York after a replacement was found for the first officer.

Virgin Atlantic says safety was not compromised.

The first officer joined the carrier.

He was fully qualified under UK aviation regulations but had not completed a final assessment flight which is required by the airline.

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The captain had not been designated as a trainer.

The control of an aircraft is usually shared between a first officer and the captain, but the latter holds ultimate responsibility for what happens on a flight.

A Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York-JFK returned to London on Monday due to a rostering error.

The qualified first officer, who was flying alongside an experienced captain, was replaced with a new pilot to ensure full compliance with Virgin Atlantic's training protocols, which exceed industry standards.

The crew change caused our customers to arrive two hours and 40 minutes later than scheduled.