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.
Azur Air flight ZF-973 made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on January 6th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Moscow, Russia, to La Romana, Dominican Republic, was diverted after all the lavatories got blocked.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air India flight AI-335 made an emergency landing in Kolkata, India, on January 5th.
The plane heading from Bangkok, Thailand, to Delhi, India, was diverted after the crew noticed some technical issues.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and fifty passengers aboard remained unharmed.
ATA Airlines flight I3-5616 made an emergency landing in Tabriz, Iran, on January 4th.
The plane heading from Mashhad, Iran, was on approach to Tabriz when the crew noticed a hydraulic failure and declared an emergency.
Three main tires deflated as the plane landed.
No injuries were reported.
American Airlines flight AA-5562 made an emergency landing at Raleigh–Durham International Airport, North Carolina, on January 4th.
The plane heading from Birmingham, Alabama, to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Virginia, was diverted due to a fuel balance issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Azman Air flight ZQ-2316 made an emergency landing in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, on January 3rd.
The Boeing 737-500 plane flying from Lagos, Nigeria, was on final approach to Port Harcourt when the crew went around due to an engine problem.
The plane subsequently landed safely. All one hundred and fourteen passengers aboard remained unharmed.
IndiGo flight 6E-923 had to return and make an emergency landing in Chennai, India, on January 3rd.
The plane took off for Kolkata, India, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and thirty-six people aboard remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-6024 made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on January 4th.
The plane heading from Raleigh–Durham International Airport, North Carolina, to Boston, Massachusetts, was diverted due to a fire indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
WestJet flight WS-3428 made an emergency landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Canada, on January 3rd.
The plane took off for St. John’s International Airport, Canada, but had to turn back due to a potential issue with the landing gear.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-5142 made an emergency landing in Mobile, Alabama, on January 3rd.
The plane flying from Charlotte, North Carolina, was on final approach to Mobile when the crew received an unsafe nose gear indication.
The crew went around to work the checklists and subsequently landed safely.
American Airlines flight AA-9240 had to return and make an emergency landing in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 3rd.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, but had to turn back due to smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-10 made an emergency landing in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 2nd.
The Airbus A321-200 plane heading from Los Angeles, California, to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, was diverted due to smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. All ninety-seven people aboard remained unharmed.
A Transavia flight made an emergency landing in Faro, Portugal, on January 1st.
The plane heading from Eindhoven, Netherlands, to Tenerife, Spain, was diverted due to an unruly passenger.
The plane landed safely.
The disruptive passenger was escorted out of the plane by Portuguese cops.
United Airlines flight UA-698 made an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on January 1st.
The Boeing 757-300 plane flying from San Francisco, California, was on approach to Chicago when the crew reported a hydraulic issue and requested a low approach for gear inspection.
The crew performed a low approach and subsequently landed safely.
The plane stopped on the runway. No injuries were reported.
Frontier Airlines flight F9-1397 made an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, on January 1st.
The Airbus A321-200 plane was flying from Cleveland, Ohio, when six passengers became sick, prompting the crew to request emergency assistance in Tampa.
The plane landed safely. Medical teams provided assistance to the sick passengers.
IndiGo flight 6E-6373 made an emergency landing in Ahmedabad, India, on January 1st.
The Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Delhi, India, was descending toward Ahmedabad when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
A Turkish Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Kolkata, India, on January 1st.
The plane heading from Istanbul, Turkey, to Bangkok, Thailand, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. The patient was rushed to a hospital.
United Airlines flight UA-5622 made an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on January 1st.
The plane flying from Aspen, Colorado, was descending toward Chicago when the crew requested assistance due to a gear problem.
The plane performed a low approach for gear inspection and subsequently landed safely.
All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
SpiceJet flight SG-2976 had to return and make an emergency landing in Ahmedabad, India, on December 31st.
The plane took off for Jodhpur, India, but had to turn back due to an issue with the cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely. All seventy-nine passengers and four crew members remained unharmed.
Flybondi flight FO-5600 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 28th.
The Boeing 737-800 flying from Asuncion, Paraguay, to Argentina, had to divert due to tyre deflation.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
ANZ Air New Zealand flight NZ-891 made a safe emergency landing at Melbourne Airport, Australia, on December 28th.
The Airbus A320-200 flying from Christchurch, New Zealand, was about to land when the crew reported a problem with its flaps.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
American Airlines flight AA-229 had to return and make an emergency landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, on December 28th.
The Boeing 777-200 en-route to Kona International Airport, Kalaoa, Hawaii, had to return after a forward cargo door indication was reported.
The plane landed safely.
All 222 people aboard remained safe.
KLM Cityhopper flight KL-1345 had to return and make an emergency landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the Netherlands, on December 30th.
The Embraer ERJ-190 en-route to Billund, Denmark, had to return due to airframe vibrations.
The plane landed safely.
Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight KL-1395 had to return and make an emergency landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the Netherlands, on December 28th.
The Boeing 737-800 en-route to Saint Petersburg, Russia, had to return due to very loud noise on its flight deck.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
American Airlines flight AA-1157 made an emergency landing at Miami International Airport, Florida, on December 28th.
The Boeing 767-300 flying from Cancun, Mexico, was mid-air when its right-hand pack failed due to an over-temperature. Later, the passengers also felt low cabin pressure and their oxygen masks were deployed.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
United Airlines flight UA-4958 made an emergency landing at University Park Airport, Pennsylvania, on December 28th.
The plane heading from Ithaca, New York, to Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, was diverted after the crew received a fire indication for the tail section of the aircraft.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
