A Virgin Atlantic jet liner turned back on a transatlantic flight from London after a burning smell was noticed in the cabin, the airline said today.
Flight VS 45 from Heathrow to JFK airport in New York was two and half hours into its flight when the alarm was raised.
A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said the jet - an Airbus A340-300 - had 181 passengers on board.
She said: "The captain decided to turn back just as a safety precaution because there was a smell of burning in the cabin. There was no danger to passengers and it was purely a safety precaution and the plane will land back at Heathrow at 13.45. All the passengers will be put on other flights. They will get to JFK today."
A BAA spokeswoman said the plane was due back anytime now and emergency services were on standby, which was routine.
"As one of the busiest airports in the world we have 1,250 flights in and out every day and we can have two or three such incidents daily," she said.
She added: "The captain took the decision to come back and if it had been more serious he would have landed at the nearest available airport."
PA