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.
United Airlines flight UA-946 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on February 16th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane flying from Dulles International Airport, Virginia, was on approach to Amsterdam when the crew reported a flaps problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Virgin Atlantic flight VS-104 had to return and make an emergency landing in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 16th.
The plane took off for Heathrow Airport, England, but had to turn back due to a pressurization problem.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Compass Airlines flight CP-6054 made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport, Oregon, on February 13th.
The plane heading from Seattle, Washington, to Los Angeles, California, was diverted due to a disruptive passenger. It is believed that the passenger, identified as 21-year-old Douglas B. Smyser, kept walking toward the cockpit and had to be restrained.
The plane landed safely.
A Flybe flight made an emergency landing in Edinburgh, Scotland, on February 14th.
The plane was flying from Manchester, England, when the crew declared an emergency due to a technical issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Ryanair flight FF-655 made an emergency landing in Madrid, Spain, on February 14th.
The plane heading from Glasgow, Scotland, to Malaga, Spain, was diverted after a fight broke out between two passengers.
The plane landed safely. Police escorted out and detained one passenger.
Spirit Airlines flight NK-1140 had to return and make an emergency landing in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on February 16th.
The plane took off for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but had to turn back due to an engine problem.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
TUI flight OR-323 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on February 15th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Warsaw, Poland, to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, was diverted due to a fuel leak.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Thai Airways flight TG-917 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on February 13th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for Bangkok, Thailand, but had to turn back due to a cargo door indication.
The plane landed back safely. All three hundred and sixty-four people aboard remained unharmed.
Qantas flight QF-58 made an emergency landing in Cairns, Australia, on February 10th.
The plane heading from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to Brisbane, Australia, was diverted after a burning odor was noticed on the flight deck.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Lufthansa Cityline flight LH-2316 had to return and make an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on February 13th.
The plane took off for Luxembourg but had to turn back due to a fuel pressure problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Transavia flight TO-4898 suffered turbulence on the way to Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 13th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane was flying from Lyon, France, when it hit turbulence that injured thirteen people.
The plane continued for a safe landing. The injured were taken to hospitals.
Delta Airlines flight DL-5763 suffered severe turbulence on the way to Seattle, Washington, on February 13th.
The plane was flying from Santa Ana, California, when it hit turbulence which injured several people.
The crew subsequently decided to divert to Reno, Nevada, where the plane landed safely.
Eight people were injured, including seven passengers and a crew member.
American Airlines flight AA-5134 made an emergency landing at Tri-Cities Airport, Tennessee, on February 11th.
The plane heading from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Kentucky, was diverted due to a door indication.
The plane landed safely. All seventy-two people aboard remained unharmed
Air Canada flight AC-835 made an emergency landing in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 10th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Montreal, Canada, but had to turn back after black smoke was seen coming out of the left engine.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
IndiGo flight 6E-75 made an emergency landing in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 12th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Bangalore, India, to Bangkok, Thailand, was diverted after the crew received an oil pressure warning for one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-1254 made an emergency landing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on February 12th.
The Boeing 737-8 MAX plane flying from Miami, Florida, was descending toward San Juan when the crew reported a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and forty-two passengers and six crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-2083 made an emergency landing in Montgomery, Alabama, on February 12th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane heading from Charleston, South Carolina, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, was diverted due to an engine problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Envoy Air flight MQ-4215 made an emergency landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, on February 11th.
The plane flying from Fort Smith, Arkansas, was on approach to DFW Airport when the crew reported a trim and autopilot failure.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-2239 had to return and make an emergency landing in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 10th.
The plane took off for Charleston, South Carolina, but had to turn back due to an engine problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
British Airways flight BA-993 made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on February 10th.
The plane was flying from Berlin Tegel Airport, Germany, when the crew reported fumes in the flight deck and cabin.
One crew member became sick due to the fumes.
The plane continued for a safe landing.
Flydubai flight FZ-821 made an emergency landing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on February 10th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Jazan, Saudi Arabia, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Aeroflot flight SU-2018 had to return and make an emergency landing in Moscow, Russia, on February 9th.
The plane took off for Prague, Czech Republic, but had to turn back due to a hydraulic issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Aeromexico flight AM-8 made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on February 9th.
The plane took off for Mexico City, Mexico, but had to turn back due to an air conditioning problem.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and thirty-seven people aboard remained unharmed.
An Etihad Airways flight made an emergency landing at Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka, on February 8th.
The plane flying from Sydney, Australia, to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. The patient was taken to a hospital.
British Airways flight BA-27 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on February 8th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane took off for Hong Kong, China, but had to turn back due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.