World

Virgin Atlantic jet makes emergency landing in London

/ CBS/AP

LONDON - A Virgin Atlantic jet bound for Las Vegas is making an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport after developing a problem with its landing gear.

The airline says the Boeing 747 "is preparing to implement a non-standard landing procedure" because of "a technical issue with one of the landing gears."

The airport said the flight, VS43, took off at about 11:45 a.m. Monday. Flight-tracking websites show it circled off the coast of southwest England before turning back to Gatwick, south of London.

It was circling near the airport and had yet to land three and a half hours after takeoff. Emergency services were on standby for the landing - standard procedure when a plane has to land with a technical problem.

First published on December 29, 2014 / 10:57 AM EST

© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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