Virgin Atlantic flight VS3 departed London Heathrow today at 08:51 GMT to New York JFK Airport.

The Airbus A350-1000 (registration G-VPOP) climbed to 38,000 ft from runway 27R. But hours into the flight and while being only few miles from Canada’s coast, the pilots decided to turn around.

The crew declared an emergency (squawk 7700) 8 hours after departure, while entering UK’s airspace due to hydraulic fault and steering issues.

UPDATE #1
The flight is diverting to Manchester Airport.

UPDATE #2
The A350 has landed on runway 23L with landing gear doors deployed due to a hydraulic issue.

UPDATE #3
The aircraft is currently stuck on the runway surrounded by emergency vehicles.

UPDATE #4
The A350K is being towed.

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