Virgin Atlantic flight quarantined at Gatwick Airport as passengers hit with ‘mysterious coughing sickness’

Passengers queue in the South Terminal building at London Gatwick Airport (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

They were taken to a reception centre at the West Sussex airport for medical assessment.

The Airbus A330 aircraft was met by the emergency services following an eight-hour flight from Barbados, which landed at 5.25am on Wednesday.

Passenger Trevor Wilson wrote on Twitter: "This flight was exclusively cruise passengers from the MSC Preziosa. The illness seems to have originated on board ship not the plane. Five members of cabin crew became sick on flight."

He added that the sickness was "mainly a bad chesty cough, possibly chest infection".

A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said: "A number of customers on board a charter flight from Barbados to London Gatwick this morning reported feeling unwell on board.

"The safety and well-being of our customers and crew is always our absolute priority, and local ambulance services attended the aircraft upon landing to provide medical assistance.

"We are working closely with London Gatwick Airport and medical teams to offer assistance to customers, and will conduct a full investigation into the circumstances."