Flight returns to London Heathrow after Boeing windshield ‘cracked at 40,000 feet’

A plane en route from London Heathrow to the USA had to turn around because the windshield cracked during the flight.

Virgin Atlantic flight VS41 to San Francisco was reportedly en route for about three hours when the incident occurred on May 27.

The Boeing 787-9 was apparently flying at an altitude of about 40,000 feet and the pilots returned to Heathrow for repairs.

Virgin has apologized to customers and stated that the safety of passengers or crew was never at risk “at any time.”

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “On 27 May 2024, our flight VS41 from London Heathrow to San Francisco returned to Heathrow due to damage to the outer layer of the cockpit windshield.

“At no time was the safety of the aircraft, our customers or our cabin crew at risk and the Captain decided to return to Heathrow where we had spare parts and tools to rectify the issue and avoid further impact on our customers and our schedules.

“We always operate well above industry safety standards and the aircraft was back in service within 24 hours of the incident. We would like to apologize to affected customers for the delay to their travels.”

Customers were reportedly offered overnight accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights the next day.

Virgin explained that cockpit windshields consist of several layers.

There was no explanation as to how the crack had occurred.

The incident follows a series of recent problems with Boeing aircraft.

In January, a panel on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft on an Alaska Airlines flight was ripped out in mid-air, terrifying passengers. The company has been under intense scrutiny ever since. The incident sparked concerns about quality control at Boeing, leading to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposing restrictions on Boeing production.

The FAA also temporarily grounded 171 MAX 9 aircraft, causing thousands of flight cancellations at Alaska Air Group and United Airlines. The Standard has contacted Boeing.