Under FAA JAA IKO rulings, it is mandated that if and when an emergency is declared by an airborne plane, ATC immediately diverts all incoming traffic and gives priority to the emergency situation. Most, if not all, of the events we have described as emergency are official emergencies. However, sometimes they are incorrectly reported as emergencies by our sources, have been downgraded from official emergency status, or are believed to be emergencies by passengers in fear for their lives.
Alaska Airlines flight AS-3298 had to return and make an emergency landing in King Salmon, Alaska, on February 7th.
The plane took off for Unalaska, Alaska, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Flybe flight BE-1265 made an emergency landing in Birmingham, England, on February 7th.
The plane heading from Manchester, England, to Luxembourg was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Porter Airlines flight PD-122 made an emergency landing at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, Pennsylvania, on February 7th.
The plane heading from Newark, New Jersey, to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Canada, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Qantas flight QF-2 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on February 7th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane took off for Singapore but had to turn back due to a cargo door indication.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air India flight AI-111 made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on February 7th.
The plane flying from Delhi, India, was on approach to Heathrow Airport when a windshield cracked.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-706 made an emergency landing in Trabzon, Turkey, on February 6th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane heading from Istanbul, Turkey, to Kabul, Afghanistan, was diverted due to a cracked windshield.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and thirty-nine passengers and sixteen crew members remained unharmed.
Condor flight DE-2116 made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on February 6th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane heading from Frankfurt, Germany, to Cancun, Mexico, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. Four crew members and a passenger were taken to a hospital.
Vietnam Airlines flight VN-96 made an emergency landing in Lahore, Pakistan, on February 6th.
The Airbus A321-200N plane heading from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Hanoi, Vietnam, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
GoAir flight G8-532 had to return and make an emergency landing in Ahmedabad, India, on February 6th.
The Airbus A320-200N plane took off for Kolkata, India, but had to turn back due to engine vibrations.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air India flight AI-503 made an emergency landing in Bhopal, India, on February 5th.
The plane heading from Bengaluru to Delhi, India, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. The patient was rushed to a hospital, however, he died on the way.
FlyEgypt flight FT-241 made an emergency landing in Cairo, Egypt, on February 5th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Alexandria, Egypt, to Kuwait City, Kuwait, was diverted after the crew noticed smell of smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-1060 made an emergency landing in Miami, Florida, on February 4th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to turn back after the crew noticed smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed back safely. All crew members and both pilots were examined by the medical teams at the airport. One crew member was taken to a hospital.
Germania flight ST-3712 had to return and make an emergency landing in Nuremberg, Germany, on February 3rd.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Las Palmas, Spain, but had to turn back due to smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
A Saudi Arabian Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Bisha, Saudi Arabia, on February 2nd.
The plane heading from from Riyadh to Jazan, Saudi Arabia, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely.
WestJet flight WS-700 made an emergency landing in Thunder Bay, Canada, on February 3rd.
The plane heading from Vancouver to Toronto, Canada, was diverted due to a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely.
Aeroflot flight SU-2097 made an emergency landing in Budapest, Hungary, on February 3rd.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Belgrade, Serbia, to Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke and a burning odor in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All ninety-nine passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Emirates flight EK-359 made an emergency landing at Cochin International Airport, India, on February 2nd.
The plane heading from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. The patient was rushed to a hospital, however, he died on the way.
Transavia flight HV-6331 had to return and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on February 1st.
The Boeing 737-700 plane took off for Valencia, Spain, but had to turn back after the crew reported navigation system problems.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-1694 made an emergency landing in Hartford, Connecticut, on February 1st.
The Boeing 737-700 plane took off for Tampa, Florida, but had to turn back due to an issue with the cabin pressure.
The plane landed back safely.
Delta Airlines flight DL-44 made an emergency landing at St. John’s International Airport, Canada, on January 31st.
The plane heading from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, to Dublin, Ireland, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely.
Virgin Australia flight VA-938 made an emergency landing in Newcastle, Australia, on February 1st.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Brisbane to Sydney, Australia, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-1079 made an emergency landing in San Jose, Costa Rica, on February 1st.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and twenty-eight people aboard remained safe.
JetBlue flight B6-324 had to return and make an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on January 31st.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, but had to turn back due to a lightning strike.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and fifty-three passengers and six crew members remained unharmed.
Copa Airlines flight CM-358 had to return and make an emergency landing in Panama City, Panama, on January 31st.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Guatemala City, Guatemala, but had to turn back after a bird strike caused engine issues.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and fifty-one people aboard remained unharmed.
Finnair flight AY-1031 was evacuated at Tallinn Airport, Estonia, on January 30th.
The plane coming from Helsinki, Finland, had just landed at Tallinn Airport when the crew declared an emergency due to smoke in the cockpit.
All passengers were safely evacuated.