Virgin Atlantic flight from London to LA diverted due to disruptive passenger

A Virgin Atlantic plane flying from London to Los Angeles was diverted to Salt Lake City on Tuesday due to a disruptive passenger. 

A spokesperson for the airline told FOX Business in an email on Wednesday that Flight 141 operating from London's Heathrow Airport to Los Angeles International Airport was diverted to the Utah airport and met by police. 

Virgin Atlantic denied earlier reports that the passenger had tried to breach the cockpit during the trip, noting that the individual was seated in the economy cabin and did not move near the flight deck when the aircraft was airborne. 

"The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we don’t tolerate any behavior that compromises this. We always want our customers to have the best experience when they fly with us and our cabin crew are highly trained to deal with any individuals that may impact that experience for others," the spokesperson wrote. 

AIRLINE COMPLAINTS NEARLY TRIPLED IN MAY COMPARED WITH SAME PRE-PANDEMIC MONTH

The Salt Lake City Police Department told FOX Business that Airport Division Police were called to respond to the Virgin Flight at approximately 4:30 p.m. MT due to an "unruly passenger" who had been "physically detained by other passengers and flight crew members."

The flight continued to the southern California hub, arriving just before 8 p.m. PT, with an arrival delay of approximately four hours. 

"We apologize for the inconvenience caused to customers onboard," the Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said. 

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There have been 1,701 reports of unruly passengers to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this year, with more than 580 investigations initiated by the agency.

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Fox News' Laura Ingle contributed to this report.