Gatwick Airport's single runway was temporarily closed because of the incident, with no planes allowed to depart or land, a spokesman said adding that some passengers had suffered "minor injuries".
The British airline's Boeing 747 jumbo jet landed with only four of its five sets of landing gear deployed, according to photos and video shown on television.
Passengers were told to brace on impact and one man described the mood as "anxious".
"A lot were worried, some crying," said the passenger, Dan Crane.
There was a spontaneous round of applause after the successful landing.
"I can't wait to get into the terminal and have a gin and tonic now," Mike Kaufman, a passenger, told Sky News television.
"We were talking about going on a rollercoaster ride when we got to Las Vegas. Now I'm not so sure," he said.
Flight VS43 set off from Gatwick en route for Las Vegas but was forced to turn back.
The plane then circled over southern England at a low altitude to burn off fuel before landing.
Fire crews and ambulances quickly surrounded the aircraft, which appeared completely level.
"Following the emergency landing, passengers have disembarked the aircraft via stairs. At this time, only minor injuries have been reported," a Gatwick spokesman said.
Virgin Atlantic said the plane had been forced "to implement a non-standard landing procedure" due to "a technical issue with one of the landing gears".
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