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.
Lufthansa flight LH-2135 made an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on January 21st.
The Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Muenster, Germany, was on final approach to Munich when the crew reported a strong acid odor in the cockpit.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-735 made an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan, on January 22nd.
The plane heading from Peshawar, Pakistan, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was diverted due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-1894 made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on January 21st.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from LaGuardia Airport, New York, to Boston, Massachusetts, was diverted due to a flaps problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-2270 returned to Tampa, Florida, on January 21st.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
IndiGo flight 4E-651 had to return and make an emergency landing in Lucknow, India, on January 21st.
The Airbus A320-200N plane took off for Jaipur, India, but had to turn back due to engine vibrations.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
A Blue Air flight made an emergency landing in Constanta, Romania, on January 20th.
The plane heading from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Bucharest, Romania, was diverted due to an issue with the wing flaps.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and nine people aboard remained unharmed.
Ural Airlines U6-893 made an emergency landing in Volgograd, Russia, on January 19th.
The plane heading from Moscow, Russia, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was diverted after some passengers reported feeling sick.
The plane landed safely. At least two people were taken to a hospital while several others received treatment at the airport.
Brussels Airlines flight SN-201 returned to Brussels, Belgium, on January 20th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Dakar, Senegal, but had to turn back due to vibrations in one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-6025 made an emergency landing in Greensboro, North Carolina, on January 18th.
The plane heading from Washington Dulles airport, Virginia, to Charleston International Airport, South Carolina, was diverted due to a mechanical issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Nordwind Airlines flight N4-174 had to return and make an emergency landing in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on January 17th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia, but had to turn back due to the loss of cabin pressure.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Iberia flight IB-6650 made an emergency landing in Bogota, Colombia, on January 17th.
The Airbus A340-600 plane heading from Lima, Peru, to Madrid, Spain, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All three hundred and sixty people aboard remained unharmed.
Virgin Atlantic flight VS-3 made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on January 17th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, but had to turn back due to an oil quantity indication for one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. All two hundred and forty-five passengers aboard remained safe.
Nordstar flight Y7-404 had to return and make an emergency landing in Norilsk, Russia, on January 17th.
The Boeing 737-300 plane took off for Moscow Domodedovo Airport, Russia, but had to turn back due to a burning odor on board which was followed by a smoke alarm.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and twenty passengers and eight crew members remained safe.
Air New Zealand flight NZ-677 made an emergency landing in Christchurch, New Zealand, on January 16th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Auckland to Dunedin, New Zealand, was diverted after the crew received an unsafe gear indication.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and eighteen people aboard remained unharmed.
Azul Linhas Aereas flight AD-2442 made an emergency landing in Londrina, Brazil, on January 16th.
The plane flying from Viracopos International Airport, Brazil, was descending toward Londrina when the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Cargolux flight CV-7303 made an emergency landing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on January 16th.
The plane took off for Zhengzhou, China, but had to turn back after the crew noticed fire and smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Gol Transportes Aereos flight G3-1025 made an emergency landing at Galeao International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 15th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Rio de Janeiro Airport RJ Santos Dumont to Congonhas-Sao Paulo Airport, Brazil, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Nouvelair flight BJ-518 had to return and make an emergency landing in Djerba, Tunisia, on January 15th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, but had to turn back due to an issue with the Inertial Reference Systems (IRS).
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-5653 made an emergency landing in Watertown, New York, on January 15th.
The plane took off for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but had to turn back due to a configuration problem.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Flybe flight BE-486 made an emergency landing at George Best Belfast City Airport, Northern Ireland, on January 14th.
The plane flying from Manchester, England, was descending toward Belfast when the crew reported an issue with an aft door.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Austrian Airlines Flight OS-65 made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on January 14th.
The plane heading from Vienna, Austria, to Chicago, Illinois, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. The patient was taken to a hospital.
Icelandair flight FI-441 made an emergency landing in Glasgow, Scotland, on January 14th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane heading from Manchester, England, to Keflavik, Iceland, was diverted due to a burning odor in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Iran Air flight IR-467 made an emergency landing in Mashhad, Iran, on January 14th.
The plane took off for Tehran, Iran, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Etihad Airways flight EY-22 made an emergency landing in Manchester, England, on January 14th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but had to turn back due to a cabin pressurization problem.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Cathay Dragon flight KA-454 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on January 13th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Kaohsiung, Taiwan, but had to turn back due to navigation problems.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.