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.
TAROM flight RO-306 made an emergency landing at Henri Coand International Airport, Romania, on May 26th.
The Boeing 737-700 flying from Frankfurt, Germany, was mid-air when the captain decided for emergency landing due to loss of cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely.
All 91 people aboard remained safe.
Iran Air flight IR-721 had to return and make an emergency landing at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, Robat Karim, Iran, on May 27th.
The Airbus A300-600 flying to Frankfurt, Germany, had to return due to an unusual odor aboard.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Iberia Express flight I2-3617/ IB-3617 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport, England, UK, on May 25th.
The Airbus A320-200 flying from London, England, to Las Palmas, Spain, had to divert due to smoke in cockpit.
The plane landed safely.
No injuries were reported.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-588 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Frankfurt Airport, Germany, on May 27th.
The Boeing 747-400 flying from Brussels, Belgium, to Seoul, South Korea, had to divert because one of its main gear doors was open.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
A Skippers Aviation flight made an emergency landing in Perth, Australia, on May 26th.
The plane took off for Leinster, Australia, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an engine issue.
The plane landed back safely. There were 50 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-1224 had to return and make an emergency landing in Orlando, Florida, on May 24th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane took off for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but had to turn back after the crew suspected a tire had blown during departure.
The plane landed back safely. All 149 people aboard remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-136 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on May 24th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane flying from Detroit, Michigan, was descending toward Amsterdam when the crew reported multiple engine stalls and wing anti ice faults.
The emergency services were put on alert as the plane touched down.
Everyone aboard remained safe.
Air Europa flight UX-98 had to return and make an emergency landing in Miami, Florida, on May 24th.
The Boeing 787-800 plane took off for Madrid, Spain, but had to turn back after a windshield cracked due to a lightning strike.
The plane landed safely. All 178 people aboard remained unharmed.
Air Niugini flight PX-275 had to return for an emergency landing in Kavieng, Papua New Guinea, on May 23rd.
The plane took off for Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, but had to return shortly afterwards due to smoke in the cockpit.
At least one tire deflated as the plane landed in Kavieng. No injuries were reported.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-353 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Multan, Pakistan, on May 23rd.
The Boeing 777-200 plane heading from Peshawar to Karachi, Pakistan, was diverted after fire erupted in a galley.
The plane landed safely. There were 116 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Envoy Air flight MQ-3322 had to make an emergency landing in Sioux City, Iowa, on May 22nd.
The plane flying from Chicago, Illinois, was descending toward Sioux City when the crew declared an emergency, reporting an engine problem.
The plane landed safely. There were 46 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
British Airways flight BA-9272 had to return and make an emergency landing at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, France, on May 22nd.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Heathrow Airport, England, but had turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Aeroflot flight SU-1711 made an emergency landing in Khabarovsk, Russia, on May 22nd.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Moscow, Russia, but had to turn back due to an issue with the landing gear.
The plane landed safely after burning off fuel.
Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Air India flight AI-669 had to return and make an emergency landing in Mumbai, India, on May 22nd.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Bhubaneswar, India, but had to turn back after the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed back safely. All 155 people aboard remained unharmed.
Cathay Pacific flight CX-253 made an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on May 21st.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for Heathrow Airport, England, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a cracked windshield.
The plane landed back safely. There were 270 passengers aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Cathay Pacific flight CX-646 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hyderabad, India, on May 21st.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Hong Kong, China, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All 244 people aboard remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-159 made an emergency landing in Detroit, Michigan, on May 20th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for Seoul, South Korea, but had to return shortly afterwards due to indication of an open panel door.
The plane landed back safely. All 375 passengers aboard remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-1098 had to return and make an emergency landing in Houston, Texas, on May 20th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for San Jose, Costa Rica, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a hydraulic problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
LATAM Brasil flight JJ-4799 had to divert for an emergency landing at Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil, on May 20th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Sao Paulo–Congonhas Airport to Campo Grande, Brazil, was diverted due to issues with the cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
KLM Cityhopper flight KL-1345 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on May 20th.
The plane took off for Billund, Denmark, but had to turn back after the crew noticed an issue with the hydraulic stabilizer system.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Qantas Airways flight QF-94 had to return and make an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on May 20th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane took off for Melbourne, Australia, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All 480 people aboard remained unharmed.
WestJet flight WS-1578 had to divert for an emergency landing in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on May 19th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Calgary, Canada, to Chicago, Illinois, was diverted due to a strong electrical odor in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-1889 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Raleigh–Durham International Airport, North Carolina, on May 19th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Hartford, Connecticut, was diverted after a strong electrical odor was noticed on-board.
The plane landed safely.
Authorities said nine people were provided medical attention at the airport, and three of them were later taken to a hospital.
Qatar Airways flight QR-841 had to divert for an emergency landing at Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka, on May 19th.
The Boeing 787-800 plane heading from Phuket, Thailand, to Doha, Qatar, was diverted due to reports of fire on-board.
The plane landed safely. All 202 people aboard remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-150 had to return and make an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on May 18th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, but had to turn back after the crew reported an issue with the primary communication radio.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
