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.
Croatia Airlines flight OU-4456 had to return and make an emergency landing in Zagreb, Croatia, on January 29th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane took off for Brussels, Belgium, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
IndiGo flight 6E-6616 had to return and make an emergency landing in Kolkata, India, on January 29th.
The Airbus A320-200N plane took off for Delhi, India, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and seventy-four people aboard remained unharmed.
A small plane made an emergency landing on State Route 55 in Costa Mesa, California, on January 28th.
The pilot decided to land on the freeway after the plane suffered an engine failure.
The plane landed safely. There were two people aboard at the time, including the pilot Izzy Slod, 25, and a passenger; both remained unharmed.
The plane was returning to Van Nuys after a trip to San Diego.
Delta Airlines flight DL-4281 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, New York, on January 28th.
The plane heading from Detroit, Michigan, to Stewart International Airport, New York, was diverted after the crew noticed a pressurization issue.
The plane landed safely. All thirty-two people aboard remained unharmed.
Norwegian Air Shuttle flight DY-1156 had to return and make an emergency landing in Oslo, Norway, on January 27th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Munich, Germany, but had to turn back due to an issue with the toilets.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Andes Lineas Aereas flight OY-641 made an emergency landing in Cordoba, Argentina, on January 27th.
The plane flying from Florianopolis, Brazil, was descending toward Cordoba when the crew noticed dropping oil pressure and decided to shut down one of the engines.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-692 had to return and make an emergency landing in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 27th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Honolulu, Hawaii, but had to turn back due to a mechanical issue.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and seventy passengers and ten crew members remained unharmed.
All Nippon Airways flight NH-273 had to return and make an emergency landing in Tokyo, Japan, on January 26th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for Fukuoka, Japan, 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.
TAP Air Portugal flight TP-1681 had to return and make an emergency landing in Lisbon, Portugal, on January 25th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane took off for Funchal, Portugal, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
A US military helicopter made an emergency landing in Tonaki, Okinawa, Japan, on January 23rd.
The AH-1Z Viper helicopter was on a routine training flight when the crew noticed a warning indication light and decided to make an emergency landing.
Both crew members aboard the aircraft remained unharmed.
Norwegian Air Shuttle flight DY-7042 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on January 24th.
The Boeing 787-800 plane heading from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Copenhagen, Denmark, was diverted after the captain fell ill.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and sixty-six people aboard remained unharmed.
Gulf Air flight GF-19 had to return and make an emergency landing in Bahrain, on January 24th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, but had to turn back due to an issue with the slats.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-4204 encountered turbulence on the way to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Virginia, on January 23rd.
The plane was flying from Cleveland, Ohio, when it hit turbulence that injured a flight attendant.
The plane continued for a safe landing.
Finnair flight AY-617 had to return and make an emergency landing in Helsinki, Finland, on January 23rd.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Ivalo, Finland, but had to turn back after the first officer fell ill.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and eighty-six passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Iberia Express flight IB-3913 had to return and make an emergency landing in Palma, Majorca, Spain, on January 23rd.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Madrid, Spain, but had to return shortly afterwards due to indication of a cabin pressure problem.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air Algerie flight AH-1002 had to return and make an emergency landing in Algiers, Algeria, on January 23rd.
The Airbus A330-200 plane took off for Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Flybondi flight FO-2710 made an emergency landing in Cordoba, Argentina, on January 22nd.
The Boeing 737-800 plane was on a test flight when the crew reported an engine problem.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
AeroLogic flight 3S-570 made an emergency landing in Leipzig, Germany, on January 22nd.
The Boeing 777-200 freighter plane took off for Shanghai, China, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a hydraulic problem.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Japan Airlines flight JL-414 had to return and make an emergency landing in Helsinki, Finland, on January 21st.
The Boeing 787-900 plane took off for Narita International Airport, Japan, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an engine problem.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
TUI Airways flight BY-2677 made an emergency landing in Manchester, England, on January 20th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane flying from La Palma, Spain, was on final approach to Manchester when the crew went around reporting an issue with the flaps.
The plane subsequently landed safely. All two hundred and twenty-six people aboard remained unharmed.
KLM flight KL-1641 had to return and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 19th.
The plane took off for Florence, Italy, but had to turn back due to the failure of anti-ice systems.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
SunExpress flight XG-4834 made an emergency landing in Dusseldorf, Germany, on January 20th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Hurghada, Egypt, was on approach to Dusseldorf when the crew reported a flaps problem and entered a hold.
The plane subsequently landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
LATAM Airlines flight LA-841 had to return and make an emergency landing in Santiago, Chile, on January 19th.
The Boeing 787-900 plane took off for Easter Island, Chile, but had to turn back due to issues with the cabin pressure.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
AirBaltic flight BT-222 had to return and make an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on January 18th.
The plane took off for Riga, Latvia, but had to turn back due to indication of an open door.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-71 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 19th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane was heading to Newark, New Jersey, when the crew declared a medical emergency reporting fifteen people on board felt sick.
The plane landed back safely. Medical teams examined fifteen people at the airport.
