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.
Envoy Air flight MQ-3612 had to return and make an emergency landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, on December 8th.
The plane took off for Wichita Falls, Texas, but had to turn back due to a problem with the anti-ice system.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
A British Airways flight made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on December 8th.
The plane was flying from Aberdeen, Scotland, when a passenger fell ill, prompting the crew to declare an emergency.
The plane landed safely.
Swift Air flight WQ-2228 made an emergency landing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on December 8th.
The Boeing 737-400 plane heading from Long Beach, California, to Raleigh–Durham International Airport, North Carolina, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air Algerie flight AH-1113 made an emergency landing in Algiers, Algeria, on December 8th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Paris Orly Airport, France, to Bejaia, Algeria, was diverted due to an issue with the landing gear.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Braathens Regional Airways flight TF-158 had to return and make an emergency landing in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 7th.
The plane took off for Malmoe, Sweden, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Norwegian Air flight DY-7080 made an emergency landing at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Minnesota, on December 5th.
The plane heading from Oakland, California, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, was diverted due to an unruly passenger.
The plane landed safely.
The flight continued after the police escorted the disruptive passenger off the plane. He was taken to a local hospital.
UPS flight 5X-2276 made an emergency landing at Raleigh–Durham International Airport, North Carolina, on December 5th.
The plane flying from Louisville, Kentucky, was on approach to RDU Airport when the crew requested emergency assistance due to an engine fire indication.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Air France flight AF-218 made an emergency landing in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on December 4th.
The plane heading from Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, to Mumbai, India, was diverted due to smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.
SpiceJet flight SG-2695 had to return for an emergency landing in Delhi, India, on December 4th.
The plane took off for Jodhpur, India, but had to turn back due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All sixty people aboard remained unharmed.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU-5257 made an emergency landing in Nanchang, China, on December 4th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane heading from Qingdao to Guangzhou, China, was diverted after the passenger oxygen masks were automatically deployed, without any indication of a cabin pressure problem.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
JetBlue flight B6-2828 made an emergency landing in Orlando, Florida, on December 3rd.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to turn back due to a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely.
Ryanair flight FR-8723 made an emergency landing in Cologne, Germany, on December 3rd.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Weeze Airport, Germany, to Bari, Italy, was diverted after a bird strike caused damage to a pitot tube, resulting in the issue of disagreeing airspeed.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
ABX Air flight GB-2015 made an emergency landing in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 3rd.
The Boeing 767-200 plane took off for Salt Lake City, Utah, but had to turn back due to issues with the cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Air Canada flight AC-8788 made an emergency landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia, Canada, on December 3rd.
The plane heading from Montreal to Saint John, Canada, was diverted after the crew noticed a mechanical issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-3692 had to return and make an emergency landing in Sarasota, Florida, on December 2nd.
The plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-4672 made an emergency landing in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1st.
The plane heading from Charlotte, North Carolina, to New Orleans, Louisiana, was diverted due to the loss of cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Scandinavian Airlines flight SK-7736 had to return and make an emergency landing in Las Palmas, Spain, on December 1st.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Billund, Denmark, but had to turn back due to issues with the cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-2169 made an emergency landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, on December 1st.
The Airbus A319-100 plane flying from Chicago, Illinois, was on final approach to DFW Airport when the crew noticed loss of airspeed indication due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Cathay Dragon flight KA-854 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on December 1st.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Wuhan, China, but had to turn back due to issues with the navigation systems.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Frontier Airlines flight F9-260 had to return and make an emergency landing in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 30th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Tampa, Florida, but had to turn back after a section of an engine cowling came loose and fell off.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Eva Air flight BR-797 had to return and make an emergency landing in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on November 29th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Guangzhou, China, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and seventy-nine passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Pegasus Airlines flight PC-2248 made an emergency landing in Izmir, Turkey, on November 29th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Istanbul to Bodrum, Turkey, was diverted due to a lightning strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
British Airways flight BA-65 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on November 29th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for Nairobi, Kenya, but had to turn back after the crew failed to retract the landing gear.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-63 made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on November 29th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane heading from Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, to Miami, Florida, was diverted due to an engine issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. All two hundred and six passengers and thirteen crew members remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA 3468 had to return and make an emergency landing at Greater Rochester International Airport, New York, on November 29th.
The plane took off for Boston, Massachusetts, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
