Virgin Flight Turns Back After Laser Incident

A Virgin Atlantic flight to New York returned to London Heathrow airport on Sunday after a "laser beam incident", the airline said.

The company said in a statement that flight VS025 had returned to Heathrow as a precautionary measure after take-off when one of its pilots was taken ill following the incident.

It said it was working with authorities to identify the source of the laser beam, which media reports said had been shone into the cockpit from the ground.

"The safety of our crew and customers is our top priority and we apologise for any inconvenience to those onboard," the airline said.