Virgin flight makes emergency landing at Melbourne Airport A VIRGIN plane carrying 129 passengers has made an emergency landing at Melbourne Airport after an odour was detected on board. Virgin Australia spokeswoman Melissa Thomson said flight VA823 was bound for Sydney when the pilot decided to return to Melbourne shortly after 9am. The aircraft had been in the air for 10 minutes when the pilot detected an "unusual odour" in the cockpit. "The captain elected to return as a precaution after an usual odour was detected in the cabin," she said. It was a precaution measure only. It landed without incident and travelled to the terminal unassisted. Our engineers are currently investigating the cause. The flight touched down safely at Melbourne Airport at 9.09am where it was met by emergency services. Melbourne Airport spokesperson Karen Harrigan said the pilot had conducted the "full emergency" procedure. "We can say that the plane landed safely and no further assistance was required," she said. A Virgin spokeswoman said passengers to be accommodated on later flights.