London to Mumbai or just a nightmare? 250 passengers stranded at Turkish military airport without food and water for two days

If you thought your worst travel experience was bad, buckle up, because over 250 Virgin Atlantic passengers are living an actual nightmare in Turkey. What started as a routine London-to-Mumbai flight turned into an almost dystopian experience when their Airbus A350-1000 was forced to make an emergency landing at a military airport in Diyarbak?r on Wednesday morning. Two days later, they are still stuck, battling hunger, exhaustion, and, frankly, pure chaos.

Over 250 India bound Virgin Atlantic passengers stuck for over 30 hours at Turkish military airport.. no food, no toilet or charging points

Flight #vs358 from London to Mumbai made an emergency stop in Diyarbak?r, Turkey after a medical scare.. later claimed the flight has¡­ pic.twitter.com/AzxyPIvFFa

¡ª Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) April 4, 2025

Stranded, starving, and stressed: The Virgin Atlantic ordeal in Turkey

The flight, originally meant to land in Mumbai at 1:40 AM on Thursday, got diverted due to a medical emergency. But here is where it gets wild¡ªthe aircraft reportedly developed a technical snag and has refused to budge since. Virgin Atlantic has been eerily silent about when or how these passengers will actually get to Mumbai.

SOS from the stranded

Social media is on fire with desperate cries for help. One X user did not mince words when they posted, "More than 200 Indian passengers, including a pregnant woman, are stranded without water and basic facilities. Please intervene urgently."

Received a distress call from a passenger on @VirginAtlantic flight VS358 from #London to #Mumbai , now stranded in #DiyarbakirAirport in #Turkey - apparently a military facility - emergency landing .
It¡¯s been 20hours without any concrete communication from airline or food or¡­ pic.twitter.com/RE4h2JiHYe

¡ª loveena tandon (@loveenatandon) April 3, 2025

Meanwhile, Preeti Sharma Menon, the Mumbai chief of AAP, revealed that her sister and niece were among those trapped. She painted a grim picture¡ªpassengers left with almost no food, a single toilet for nearly 275 people, and phones running out of battery with no Turkish adapters in sight. Among them are babies, elderly passengers, and diabetics, all struggling in miserable conditions. She also pointed out that there are barely any airport staff, and those present do not even speak English.

Virgin Atlantic¡¯s ¡®solution¡¯?

While passengers continue to suffer, Virgin Atlantic finally issued an update, telling travellers that they would be taken to a hotel for some "much-needed rest"¡ªas if sleep is their biggest problem right now. The airline has now promised to collect them at 9:00 AM local time and fly them out by noon, subject to "technical approvals." If that does not happen, they will be put on a bus (yes, a bus) to another airport for an alternate flight.

It was a miserable experience to reach India from London via Turkey for nearly 50 flyers (most of them Indians) from London. @IndiGo6E connecting flight from Istanbul to Mumbai was delayed by 16 hrs due to 'technical reasons'. With not enough chairs in the space they were asked¡­ pic.twitter.com/7gmbLyXg86

¡ª S. Lalitha (@Lolita_TNIE) March 25, 2024

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Turkey is trying to sort out the mess. Officials claim they are "in constant communication" with Virgin Atlantic, Turkish authorities, and foreign affairs officials to ensure passengers are taken care of.

The bottom line?

This is not just a delayed flight¡ªit is a full-blown humanitarian crisis. A major international airline has left hundreds of passengers stranded in a foreign country with almost no resources, and people are understandably furious. Now, all eyes are on Virgin Atlantic to see if they can actually deliver on their latest promise¡ªor if passengers will have to endure yet another day of uncertainty and struggle.