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A Virgin Atlantic flight from Los Angeles to London declared an emergency as it entered British airspace due to a reported medical incident

A Virgin Atlantic flight from Los Angeles has declared an emergency while entering British airspace.

The crew of the Airbus A350-1000 transmitted a Squawk 7700 code - the international code for a general emergency - while cruising at 39,000 feet due to a "serious medical situation" involving a passenger on board, according to reports..

The aircraft made an expedited descent towards London Heathrow Airport, AirLive reports. The aircraft had departed Los Angeles International Airport at 3.41pm on Monday and landed at Heathrow Terminal 3 at 10.06am on Tuesday - around 10 minutes earlier than scheduled, flight-tracking data show.

The pilots informed air traffic control who granted the flight priority landing. The aircraft initiated a rapid descent to the runway, where it is understood that emergency services and ground crews were waiting. Virgin Atlantic has not released a statement on the incident.

Virgin Atlantic is Britain's second-largest carrier, offering various transatlantic routes between London Heathrow and destinations including New York, Orlando, the Caribbean, Delhi and Johannesburg. The company is headquartered in Crawley, West Sussex, around 2.5 miles from Gatwick Airport station.

It comes after a Jet2 flight from London to Tenerife faced an emergency after a baby on board fell ill.

The incident took place aboard Jet2 flight EXS2V from London Stansted to Tenerife South on Saturday. Air traffic controllers gave the flight priority landing after being informed that a baby was experiencing breathing difficulties. The aircraft landed nine minutes earlier than scheduled at around 2.20pm.

Spanish air traffic controllers said just ahead of the plane's arrival: "The crew of the flight from the UK arriving at Tenerife South informs us that they require priority to attend to a baby with respiratory problems.

"We are shortening their approach as much as possible while coordinating medical assistance on the ground with the airport. We wish the little one a speedy recovery."

It was not immediately clear whether the baby had been taken to hospital on landing.