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.
KLM flight KL-1576 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on December 26th.
The Boeing 737-900 plane flying from Athens, Greece, was on approach to Amsterdam when the crew reported an issue with the flaps and requested emergency assistance.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and seventy-eight people aboard remained unharmed.
Qatar Airways flight QR-59 made an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on December 26th.
The Airbus A350-900 plane flying from Doha, Qatar, was descending toward Munich when the crew requested emergency assistance due to a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Lufthansa flight LH-689 made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, on December 26th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane heading from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Munich, Germany, was diverted after electrical smoke was noticed in aft galley.
The plane landed uneventfully. All eighty-one people aboard remained safe.
Envoy Air flight MQ-3594 had to return and make an emergency landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, on December 25th.
The plane took off for Abilene, Texas, but had to turn back due to a possible technical issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Swiss International Air Lines flight LX-1422 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Belgrade, Serbia, on December 24th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Zurich, Switzerland, to Nis, Serbia, was diverted due to a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed uneventfully. All one hundred and seventy-three people aboard remained unharmed.
ATA Airlines made an emergency landing in Sari, Iran, on December 24th.
The plane heading from Tabriz to Mashhad, Iran, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
SunExpress flight XQ-171 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hamburg, Germany, on December 23rd.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Antalya, Turkey, but had to turn back due to a tail strike indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-2847 had to return and make an emergency landing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on December 22nd.
The plane took off for Charlotte, North Carolina, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a landing gear problem.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
UTAir flight UT-447 had to return and make an emergency landing at Vnukovo International Airport, Russia, on December 23rd.
The Boeing 737-500 plane took off for Makhachkala, Russia, but had to turn back due to suspicion of fuel leak.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Finnair flight AY-1366 made an emergency landing in Oslo, Norway, on December 22nd.
The plane heading from Manchester, England, to Helsinki, Finland, was diverted due to a cracked windshield.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-2263 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Orlando, Florida, on December 22nd.
The plane heading from Fort Myers, Florida, to Boston, Massachusetts, was diverted after the crew noticed an engine issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. All thirty-six people aboard remained safe.
Aeromar flight VW-240 had to return and make an emergency landing in Mexico City, Mexico, on December 22nd.
The plane took off for Monclova, Mexico, but had to turn back due to an engine failure.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-1406 made an emergency landing at Colorado Springs Airport, Colorado, on December 21st.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Raleigh–Durham International Airport, North Carolina, to Los Angeles, California, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-6266 made an emergency landing in College Station, Texas, on December 21st.
The plane heading from Houston, Texas, to Boise, Idaho, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. All eighty people aboard remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-754 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Bangor, Maine, on December 21st.
The Airbus A330-200 plane heading from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, was diverted due to a burning odor on-board.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
S7 Airlines flight S7-3278 had to return and make an emergency landing in Norilsk, Russia, on December 21st.
The plane took off for Novosibirsk, Russia, but had to turn back due to a landing gear problem.
The plane landed safely. All seventy-six passengers and four crew members remained unharmed.
Jetstar Airways flight JQ-967 made an emergency landing in Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia, on December 20th.
The A320-200 plane flying from Cairns, Queensland, Australia, was on approach to Coolangatta when fumes were noticed on-board, and all six crew members complained of dizziness, light-headedness, and nausea.
The plane continued for a safe landing. The crew members were taken to hospitals.
There were no passengers aboard the flight.
American Airlines flight AA-54 had to divert and make an emergency landing in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on December 19th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane heading from Chicago, Illinois, to Manchester, England, was diverted due to indication of oil pressure loss in one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Taftan Airlines flight HH-6245 had to return and make an emergency landing in Tehran, Iran, on December 18th.
The plane took off for Ahvaz, Iran, but had to turn back due to an engine failure.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and fifty-nine passengers and ten crew members remained unharmed.
Hawaiian Airlines flight HA-43 had to return and make an emergency landing in San Jose, California, on December 19th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Honolulu, Hawaii, but had to turn back due to failure of weather radar.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air France flight AF-229 made an emergency landing in Asuncion, Paraguay, on December 19th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane heading from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, was diverted due to an unusual odor on-board.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and seventy-four people aboard remained unharmed.
It is believed that the odor was caused due to overheating of an electrical component.
SkyWest Airlines flight OO-7390 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Syracuse, New York, on December 17th.
The plane heading from Detroit, Michigan, to Ithaca, New York, was diverted due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-779 had to return and make an emergency landing in San Francisco, California, on December 18th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to turn back due to indication of smoke in a lavatory.
The plane landed uneventfully. All one hundred and seventy-six people aboard remained safe.
Taban Air flight I3-5680 had to return and make an emergency landing in Tehran, Iran, on December 17th.
The plane took off for Urmia, Iran, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
S7 Airlines flight S7-1159 made an emergency landing in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on December 16th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane flying from Domodedovo International Airport, Russia, was on approach to Rostov-on-Don when the crew reported an issue with the flaps and entered a hold.
The plane subsequently landed safely. All one hundred and forty-one passengers and five crew members remained unharmed.
