A New Delhi-to-London Virgin Atlantic Airways flight made an emergency landing in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday, with the airline citing a technical issue. Passengers of the flight VS301 were sent to London on another aircraft nearly 12 hours later after the airline's move to halt at Istanbul.

"Thank you for your patience and understanding as we manage today's unexpected disruption. As a precautionary measure, your flight VS301 has been diverted to Istanbul due to a minor technical issue. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our highest priority, and we're very sorry for the delay and inconvenience this has caused," the airline said in a communication to the impacted passengers after landing at Istanbul. 

"We want to reassure you that an alternative aircraft is already being prepared and will soon be en-route from London Heathrow to Istanbul to take you on to your final destination. Our teams are working at pace to get everything in place so that your onward journey can resume as quickly and smoothly as possible," it noted. 

"The planned departure from Istanbul is 22:55 local time, with arrival into London Heathrow expected at 00:15 local time. In the meantime, we are arranging support in the terminal to ensure you're looked after while you wait. Refreshments will be made available shortly, and we're working closely with the airport team to provide any further essentials you may need," wrote Virgin Atlantic in the communication. 

"We understand this isn't how you expected your journey to go, and we're truly sorry for the disruption," it added.

The airline also assured the passengers refunds for "any reasonable expenses while away from home", subject to the condition that they keep all receipts and submit a claim via its website.

"More information on your entitlements can be found in our flight disruption policy," said the airline. 

"If you have an onward connecting flight, booked on the same ticket, our team will rebook this for you. You will be able to view your new flight details via 'Manage my Booking' on our website or our ground team in London Heathrow will be able assist you. Thank you again for your patience, and we'll continue to keep you informed with the latest updates," wrote Virgin Atlantic.