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-4833 had to return and make an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida, on December 18th.
The plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to turn back due to a pressurization issue.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
S7 Airlines flight S7-3269 made an emergency landing in Blagoveshchensk, Russia, on December 18th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Novosibirsk to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia, was diverted after the crew received low oil pressure indication for one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and fifty-six passengers and six crew members remained unharmed.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-1911 had to return and make an emergency landing in Istanbul, Turkey, on December 17th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Zurich, Switzerland, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Emirates flight EK-261 had to return and make an emergency landing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on December 16th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane took off for Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil, 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.
United Airlines flight UA-956 made an emergency landing in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 17th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane flying from Newark, New Jersey, declared an emergency due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and thirteen people aboard remained unharmed.
Ryanair flight FR-1438 had to return and make an emergency landing in Milan–Malpensa Airport, Italy, on December 16th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Palermo, Italy, but had to turn back after the crew received indication of a fuel leak.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Air China flight CA-784 had to return and make an emergency landing in Auckland, New Zealand, on December 15th.
The Boeing 787-900 plane took off for Beijing, China, but had to turn back due to an engine failure.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
XL Airways France flight SE-55 had to return and make an emergency landing in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on December 15th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, but had to turn back due to an issue with the landing gear.
The plane landed safely. All three hundred and sixty-five passengers and twelve crew members remained unharmed.
All Nippon Airways flight NH-805 made an emergency landing in Okinawa, Japan, on December 15th.
The Boeing 787-800 plane heading from Narita International Airport, Japan, to Bangkok, Thailand, was diverted after an unusual odor was noticed in the cockpit and cabin.
The plane, carrying two hundred and forty-two people, landed safely.
One elderly woman passenger complained of pain in eyes and was taken to a hospital.
LOT Polish Airlines flight LO-3844 made an emergency landing in Warsaw, Poland, on December 15th.
The plane flying from Wroclaw, Poland, was descending toward Warsaw when the crew reported an issue related to the landing gear indication.
The plane landed safely. All seventy people aboard remained safe.
EasyJet flight U2-4557 had to return and make an emergency landing at Berlin Schonefeld Airport, Germany, on December 13th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Copenhagen, Denmark, but had to turn back due to smell of smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-1633 had to make an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on December 13th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane flying from Istanbul, Turkey, was descending toward Munich when the crew declared an emergency, reporting hydraulic issues.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Delta Airlines flight DL-588 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Narita International Airport, Japan, on December 14th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Shanghai, China, to Seattle, Washington, was diverted after the crew suspected a fuel leak.
The plane landed uneventfully. All two hundred and twenty people aboard remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-3478 had to return and make an emergency landing in Champaign, Illinois, on December 13th.
The plane took off for O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, but had to turn back after the crew noticed fumes in the cockpit.
The plane landed back safely. All eighteen people aboard remained unharmed.
SunExpress flight XQ-722 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on December 13th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Kayseri, Turkey, was on final approach to Amsterdam when the crew reported an issue with the localizer and went around.
The plane subsequently landed safely on second approach. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-1539 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Pensacola, Florida, on December 12th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Orlando, Florida, to Houston, Texas, was diverted after a burning odor was noticed in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Air Caraibes flight TX-540 had to return and make an emergency landing at Paris Orly Airport, France, on December 12th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed back safely. All three hundred people aboard remained unharmed.
Philippine Airlines flight PR-103 had to return and make an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on December 11th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for Manila, Philippines, but had to turn back after the crew failed to retract the landing gear.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
British Airways flight BA-198 made an emergency landing in Baku, Azerbaijan, on December 11th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane heading from Mumbai, India, to Heathrow Airport, England, was diverted due to smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. All one hundred and thirty-five passengers and seventeen crew members remained safe.
KLM flight KL-891 had to return and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on December 10th.
The Boeing 787-900 plane took off for Chengdu, China, but had to turn back after one of the engines stalled.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Interjet flight 4O-2940 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Guadalajara, Mexico, on December 10th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Mexico City, Mexico, to Las Vegas, Nevada, was diverted due to an indication of low oil pressure in one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
LATAM Brasil flight JJ-4730 had to return and make an emergency landing in Sao Luis, Brazil, on December 9th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Japan Air Commuter flight 3X-3768 made an emergency landing in Kagoshima, Japan, on December 10th.
The plane flying from Nakatane, Japan, was approaching Kagoshima Airport when the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit and cabin.
The plane continued for a safe landing,
All twenty-six passengers and four crew members remained unharmed.
FedEx Express flight FX-49 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Tokyo Narita Airport, Japan, on December 9th.
The plane heading from Anchorage, Alaska, to Taipei, Taiwan, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV-21 had to return and make an emergency landing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on December 9th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, but had to turn back due to a tail strike indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
