Tom Daley and his scriptwriter boyfriend Dustin Lance Black were on board a plane when it was forced to make an emergency landing in Russia.

The Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340 from Shanghai to London suffered a “technical difficulty” and made a mandatory landing in Irkutsk, Siberia.

The plane was carrying 301 people in total; 286 passengers including three infants, as well as three flight deck crew and 12 cabin crew.

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The Olympic diver was returning from world championships in China when the incident took place and took an Instagram picture of the proceedings.

"Just had to make an emergency landing in Irkutsk, Russia on the way back from Shanghai. Here's the pic of the fuel dump before landing," he captioned the image.

“Virgin Atlantic can confirm that the VS251 travelling from Shanghai to London Heathrow has diverted to Irkutsk Airport, Russia, as a precautionary measure due to a technical issue. Safety and security is always our top priority,” said a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson.

"The aircraft is currently on the ground and our customers are being looked after by our cabin crew. Our priority now is to ensure our customers resume their journey as soon as possible.

“The airline would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”