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.
Air Malta flight KM-352 made an emergency landing in Dusseldorf, Germany, on January 3rd.
The Airbus A319-100 plane flying from Malta was descending toward Dusseldorf when the crew requested priority assistance due to a burning odor in the cabin.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All one hundred and twenty-five people aboard remained unharmed.
British Airways flight BA-738 made an emergency landing in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 2nd.
The Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Heathrow Airport, England, was on final approach to Geneva when the crew declared an emergency due to smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Delta Airlines flight DL-118 made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on January 2nd.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Boston, Massachusetts, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, was diverted due to a generator failure.
The plane landed uneventfully. All one hundred and ninety-seven people aboard remained safe.
Iran Aseman Airlines flight EP-3710 had to return and make an emergency landing at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, on January 2nd.
The Boeing 737-400 plane took off for Ardabil, Iran, but had to turn back after the crew noticed an issue with the landing gear.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and twenty-seven people aboard remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-284 had to return and make an emergency landing in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 2nd.
The Boeing 767-400 plane took off for Heathrow Airport, England, but had to turn back after an engine compressor stalled.
The plane landed back safely. All two hundred and twenty-eight people aboard remained unharmed.
Swiss International Air Lines flight LX-289 made an emergency landing in Johannesburg, South Africa, on January 1st.
The Airbus A340-300 plane took off for Zurich, Switzerland, but had to turn back due to issues with the weather radar.
The plane landed safely. There were two hundred and nineteen passengers aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
Southwest Airlines had to return and make an emergency landing in Seattle, Washington, on January 1st.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Baltimore, Maryland, but had to turn back due to an issue with the nose gear.
The plane landed uneventfully. All one hundred and sixty-six people aboard remained safe.
EasyJet flight U2-6950 had to return and make an emergency landing at Tenerife–South Airport, Spain, on January 1st.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Edinburgh Airport, Scotland, but had to turn back due to indication of an open door.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Qantas flight QF-76 made an emergency landing in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 31st.
The Boeing 747-400 plane heading from Vancouver, Canada, to Sydney, Australia, was diverted due to failure of a weather radar.
The plane landed safely. All three hundred and eighty-four people aboard remained unharmed.
A Porter Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada, on January 1st.
The plane heading from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Toronto, to Newark, New Jersey, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-1609 made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on December 31st.
The Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Bermuda was on approach to New York when the crew declared an emergency, reporting a problem with the slats.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and forty-four people aboard remained unharmed.
IndiGo flight 6E-724 had to return and make an emergency landing in Goa, India, on December 31st.
The Airbus A320-200N plane took off for Delhi, India, but had to turn back after the crew received a low oil pressure indication for one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and eighty-six people aboard remained unharmed.
British Airways flight BA-964 suffered a bird strike near Hamburg Airport, Germany, on December 31st.
The incident happened when the Airbus A319-100 plane flying from Heathrow Airport, England, was on final approach to Hamburg Airport.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-2109 made an emergency landing in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 30th.
The Boeing 737-900 plane took off for Salt Lake City, Utah, but had to return shortly afterwards due to vibrations on the airframe.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-1643 had to return and make an emergency landing at Hewanorra International Airport, Saint Lucia, on December 30th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to turn back after the crew failed to retract the landing gear.
The plane landed uneventfully. All one hundred and fifty people aboard remained safe.
Cayman Airways flight KX-505 made an emergency landing at Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, on December 27th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane flying from O’Hare International Airport, Illinois, was descending toward Grand Cayman when the crew requested emergency assistance due to an unidentified odor in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Aeroflot flight SU-6462 had to return and make an emergency landing in Chelyabinsk, Russia, on December 30th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Saint Petersburg, Russia, but had to turn back after the crew received indication of an open cabin door.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
SkyWest Airlines flight OO-4475 made an emergency landing at Tri-Cities Airport, Pasco, Washington, on December 29th.
The plane took off for Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Minnesota, but had to turn back due to indication of a nose gear issue.
The plane landed safely. All seventy people aboard remained unharmed.
ABX Air flight GB-3907 made an emergency landing in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 28th.
The Boeing 767-200 freighter plane flying from Chicago Rockford International Airport, Illinois, was descending toward Providence when the crew reported an engine issue.
The plane continued for a safe landing. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
SkyWest Airlines flight OO-4668 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 28th.
The plane heading from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Detroit, Michigan, was diverted due to the loss of cabin pressure.
The plane, carrying thirty-eight passengers and three crew members, landed uneventfully. One female passenger complained of ear pain and was taken to a hospital.
Kuwait Airways flight KU-619 had to return and make an emergency landing in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on December 28th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Doha, Qatar, but had to turn back due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Qantas flight QF-16 had to return and make an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on December 27th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for Brisbane, Australia, but had to turn back due to failure of a weather radar.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air France flight AF-66 made an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on December 27th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane flying from Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, was descending toward Los Angeles when the crew received a low oil pressure indication for one of the engines.
The crew subsequently shut down the faulty engine and continued for a safe landing.
All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
A US Air Force aerial refueling plane made an emergency landing at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, Scotland, on December 27th.
The pilots requested a diversion after the Boeing KC-135R plane experienced technical issues.
The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.
Aer Lingus flight EI-145 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on December 28th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane heading from Dublin, Ireland, to Los Angeles, California, was diverted due to an engine fire indication.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and sixty-two passengers and eleven crew members remained unharmed.
