Emirates flight EK35 had to make a priority landing in Newcastle, England, on March 23.
Authorities said the plane, flying from Dubai, declared an emergency at around 11 a.m. due to a medical emergency on board.
According to an airline spokesperson, “The aircraft landed safely and the passenger was met and attended to by medical staff.”
Condor flight DE-4156 had to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on March 19.
The Boeing 767-300 was heading from Frankfurt, Germany to Cancun, Mexico, when a smoke alarm went off. The pilot then diverted the flight to Shannon Airport, where it made a safe emergency landing.
All 238 people aboard remained unharmed.
The airline arranged an alternate aircraft for passengers.
British Airways flight BA49 had to return and make an emergency landing at London Heathrow airport, England, on March 6.
The plane was en-route to Seattle when the pilot reported a fault in cabin’s oxygen supply system. According to an airline spokesperson, “The aircraft is returning to Heathrow Airport as a precaution due to a suspected technical problem. Our pilots are highly trained to deal with these scenarios.”
The plane dumped fuel over the Irish Sea before it landed uneventfully. None of the 218 passengers and 14 crew members was harmed.
A replacement aircraft was arranged for the passengers.
A US military plane had to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on the morning of February 28.
Authorities said the crew of Hercules C-130 turbo-prop aircraft sought permission for an emergency landing due to fault in one of the engines.
The plane landed uneventfully and no one aboard was harmed.
US Airways flight 723 had to return and make an emergency landing at Dublin Airport, Ireland, on February 26.
The plane took off for Philadelphia at 11:15 a.m. but had to return shortly afterwards due to an issue with its flaps.
The Boeing 757 landed back uneventfully.
There were 132 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
A helicopter crashed on a farm land near Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire, England, on February 25.
The helicopter, carrying the pilot and 2 female passengers, was en-route to Sussex when its engine malfunctioned. The pilot then decided to make an emergency landing on farm land however, the aircraft flipped over during landing.
According to Inspector Tracey Day, “I was very pleased when I got there to find three people with cuts and bruises, but everyone had walked away relatively unscathed.”
American Airlines flight AA65 had to make an emergency landing at London’s Heathrow Airport, on February 23.
Emergency was declared aboard the Boeing 767-300 aircraft after its windscreen cracked. The plane was heading from Zurich, Switzerland, to New York at the time.
The plane landed uneventfully and no one was hurt.
It is not clear how the windscreen cracked.
Loganair flight BE6891 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Aberdeen International Airport in Scotland, at around 10:45 a.m. on February 20.
According to a statement released by the airline, “The captain of Flight BE6891, which departed Edinburgh International Airport at 09:25 this morning for Kirkwall with 20 passengers, one infant and three crew on board, elected to divert to Aberdeen as a precautionary measure after detecting an unusual smell in the cockpit.”
The plane landed uneventfully and none of the passengers and crew members was hurt.
The airline arranged an alternate aircraft which took the passengers to their destination.
EasyJet flight EZY1877 had to return and make an emergency landing at Manchester Airport in England, on February 17.
The plane took off from Manchester for Bilbao, Spain but had to turn back shortly afterwards due to smell of fumes in the cabin.
The plane made an uneventful emergency landing and no one aboard was harmed.
An airline spokesperson said, “The aircraft landed safely at Manchester and was met by the fire service in line with routine procedures…The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority. The passengers disembarked the aircraft as normal and have been transferred to the terminal and are awaiting a replacement aircraft to Bilbao…We would like to apologise for any inconvenience experienced due to the delay.”
A helicopter made an emergency landing in a field in Snargate Lane, Brookland, England, at around 11:10 a.m. on February 13.
The incident happened when the helicopter was carrying 2 men. According to South East Coast Ambulance Service spokesman Rich Airey, “It was reported that the helicopter had a soft landing but then rolled onto its side…We sent two ambulances, a car and the hazardous area response team.”
Both occupants of the Robinson R22 suffered only minor injuries. Authorities confirmed that they did not need hospital treatment.
The accident is being investigated.
A Royal Air Force helicopter had to make an emergency landing at Cardiff Airport in the Vale of Glamorgan, United Kingdom, on the morning of February 4.
According to a Ministry of Defence spokesperson, “Two RAF aircraft were training in Pembrey when one aircraft thought it had been struck by a bird…As a precaution the aircraft asked to land at the nearest airport which was Cardiff…There was no damaged discovered and both aircraft returned to the RAF Valley base in Anglesea.”
Airport authorities confirmed that Hawk T1 made an uneventful emergency landing and no one aboard was harmed.
An executive jet, registered to New York-based Constellation Leasing, had to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on February 1.
The Dassault Falcon 900EX jet was en-route to an airport in the United Kingdom when the crew reported issues with its fuel system and declared an emergency.
Emergency services personnel were ready at the scene when the plane safely landed at around 3:45 p.m.
There were 6 passengers and crew members aboard at the time; none of them was harmed.
The aircraft was taken for examination while arrangements were made to transport passengers to London.
A Ryanair flight had to return and make an emergency landing at Edinburgh Airport, Scotland, on January 30.
The plane was forced to turn back after one of the tires blew out upon take off. The flight was heading to Dublin at the time.
The pilot safely landed the plane back about 10 minutes after take-off. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
According to an airline spokesperson, “The aircraft returned to Edinburgh and landed normally, and customers disembarked and were provided with refreshment vouchers…A Ryanair engineer was sent from Prestwick to replace the tyre and the aircraft will depart for Dublin shortly…Ryanair sincerely apologised to all those affected by the delay to their journey.”
Eastern Airways flight EZE502 made an emergency landing at Aberdeen International Airport in Scotland, on January 23.
The Saab 2000 aircraft was flying from Scatsta Airport, Shetland, when the crew reported an unusual smell in the cockpit and requested emergency landing.
Emergency personnel were ready at the scene when the plane safely touched the runway. An airline spokesperson said, “There were no passengers on board and the aircraft with three crew landed safely at 10am today. On arrival, the aircraft taxied to its parking stand…We have launched an investigation and engineers are inspecting the aircraft.”
Blue Islands flight SI718 had to divert and make an emergency landing at London Southend Airport in Essex, United Kingdom, at around 6:37 p.m. on January 13.
The flight, heading from Jersey to London City, was diverted after it was struck by lightning.
The ATR42 aircraft, carrying 30 passengers, landed uneventfully. None of the passengers and crew members was hurt.
Airline authorities said the aircraft was taken for inspection while the return flight to Jersey was cancelled.
British Airways flight BA103 returned to London’s Heathrow Airport on January 8.
The Boeing Dreamliner 787 was en-route to Calgary, Canada, when a technical issue with one of its engines forced it to return for an emergency landing.
The airline said in a statement, “The flight landed safely at Heathrow and all customers left the aircraft as normal…We are sorry for the inconvenience but safety is always our highest priority…There was a suspected problem with the engine, and our engineers are now inspecting the aircraft to determine the nature of the problem.”
A Loganair jet veered off the runway at Stornoway Airport on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, on January 2.
The plane, which was scheduled to take off for Glasgow, was evacuated after it got caught in crosswinds and veered off the runway, injuring 2 passengers.
According to the airport authorities, “An outbound aircraft Saab 340 aircraft operated by Loganair veered off the runway at Stornoway Airport at 8.33am this morning…It is it our intention to resume normal operations as soon as the aircraft is safely removed from the runway. There are no scheduled arrivals or departures at Stornoway until later this afternoon.”
A Blue Islands flight made an emergency landing at London Southend Airport, England, shortly before 9 a.m. on January 2.
The plane was forced to land in emergency after the crew received a fire alert from one of the engines. The flight, carrying 28 passengers and 3 crew members was heading from Jersey to London City at the time.
The plane landed uneventfully and no one was injured.
The airline said, “At approximately 08:28 local this morning, the Blue Islands flight SI712 Jersey to London City Airport, with 28 passengers and three crew on-board, experienced a safety warning…As a precautionary measure, the engine was shut down, and this flight followed standard procedures and diverted to London Southend Airport. The aircraft landed safely at London Southend at 08:48…The aircraft is currently being inspected by engineers at Southend. Initial indications are that no fire took place and it appears to be a false alert.”
Virgin Atlantic flight VS43 had to return and make an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport in Sussex, England, on December 29.
According to an airline statement, “Virgin Atlantic can confirm that flight VS43 on 29 December, travelling to McCarran international airport Las Vegas, returned to Gatwick due to a technical issue with one of the landing gears.”
The Boeing 747 circled over the south coast of England before it landed uneventfully, shortly before 16:00 GMT. No one aboard was injured.
United Airlines flight UA28 had to return and make an emergency landing at London Heathrow Airport on December 17.
The Boeing 767-400 was heading to Newark, New Jersey when some ‘maintenance issues’ forced the pilot to turn back.
The plane circled over the English Channel for hours before it landed back safely, shortly before 4 p.m. All 227 passengers and 13 crew members were safely evacuated.
An airline spokesperson said, “Our maintenance team is currently inspecting the aircraft…Our customer service team at Heathrow is providing assistance to customers and is making arrangements for them to complete their journeys…We regret any inconvenience experienced by our customers.”
Flybe flight BE130 made an emergency landing at Belfast international airport, Northern Ireland, on the night of December 16.
The flight, en-route from Glasgow to Belfast City Airport, was diverted after one of its engines caught fire midair.
The plane landed uneventfully and all 76 passengers and 4 crew members remained unharmed.
The airline said in a statement, “Flybe can confirm that flight BE130 from Glasgow to Belfast City diverted to Belfast International Airport due a small engine fire, which was extinguished before landing…At no time was the safety and wellbeing of passengers compromised…Flybe operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers guidelines.”
The cause of engine fire is under investigation.
American Airlines flight AA135 had to return and make an emergency landing at London Heathrow airport, on December 15.
The airline said that the Los Angeles-bound Boeing 777 had to turn back due to a medical emergency.
The plane, carrying 267 passengers, landed back safely at around 4 p.m.
Authorities said the flight again departed London shortly after 6 p.m.
Air France flight AF-733 had to make an emergency landing at Shannon airport, Ireland, at around 10 a.m. on December 14.
The Boeing 747-, heading from the Dominican Republic to Paris, had to land in emergency after a fire alarm went off.
The plane landed uneventfully and all 156 people aboard remained unharmed.
A replacement plane was arranged for the passengers.
It was later found that the heat from a cargo of vegetables triggered the fire alarm.
Seventy minutes after a mayday when a cargo of vegetables (peppers and flowers) set off a smoke alarm, Air France flight AF-733 made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport today at 9.55am. The flight was en route from Santo Domingo to Paris with 142 passengers and 14 crew when they diverted.
Emergency services, Shannon based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, the fire department, the RNLI lifeboat at Kilrush, and HSE ambulances were on standby as passengers disembarked via stairs. Passengers are being accommodated in the terminal as they wait for an alternative flight.
No fire or heat spots were detected aboard.
After AF447–the deadliest in the history of Air France–it is always alarming to hear of an issue aboard an AF trans-Atlantic flight. That Air France Rio de Janeiro-Paris flight crashed on June 1, 2009 and led to an exhaustive but successful multi-phase ocean search. On April 3, 2011, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution located the debris field.
While today’s thermal food was both alarming and anti-climactic, it was also a successful demonstration of contemporary aviation accident prevention. We are well familiar with how investigations of safety issues contribute to making flight safer, but rarely do we give credit to crew resource management. How the crew responds to the crisis, (even when it is just a sensitive alert that goes off), how well coordinated and cool-headed the crew is can mean the difference between life and death.
We don’t need to think of AF447, or even Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, to appreciate the integrated clockwork of a well-trained crew; but it does make us wonder if those crews were as well-trained as the one on this jet today, if either of those tragedies might have been prevented.
British Airways Flight BA-48 had to make an unscheduled landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, at around 10:24 a.m. on November 23.
The pilot sought permission for diverting to Shannon Airport after one of the engines of Boeing 777 aircraft had to be shut down due to some fault. The flight was en-route from Seattle, Washington to London Heathrow at the time.
The plane landed uneventfully and all 220 passengers and crew members remained unharmed. The aircraft was taken for examination.
An airline spokesperson said, “Our flight diverted to Shannon due to a minor technical issue and our cabin crew looked after the customers on board. Safety is always our first priority, and the aircraft diverted purely as a precaution.”
A replacement plane was arranged for the passengers which took off 6 hours later.
Earlier on November 21, the same aircraft, performing flight BAW-215 from London Heathrow to Boston, made an unscheduled landing at Shannon Airport due to a problem with generators.
