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The aircraft was due to fly from Dubai to London this morning.

The plane had just started taxiing towards the runway in Dubai when a major security alert was declared and passengers were ordered off the aircraft.

The captain then reportedly announced a bomb threat had been received and in light of the Manchester attack, they had to respond.

One passenger on the plane told MailOnline the aircraft was fully boarded ready to take off when the incident happened.

They said: "We were just moving and then the captain called his flight crew immediately and they all ran up the front.

"Ten minutes later we were told to get off.

"The captain just came out and said Virgin take the safety of passengers very seriously – following the events in Manchester, Virgin had received a bomb threat so as precaution they have asked everyone to leave the plane."

However, Virgin has disputed the passenger's account, saying the plane did not leave the stand.

Passengers were later ordered to take full body scans before being allowed to board again.

A person said: "Someone said they saw a bomb disposal truck and said it out loud, but it wasn't. It was just a normal fire truck."

"Everyone's a bit on edge."

A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: "Our customers travelling on the VS401 from Dubai to London Heathrow have temporarily disembarked the aircraft for additional security checks.

"This is purely as a precautionary measure as the safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority and we’re planning to have everyone on their way as quickly as possible."