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.
ANA Wings flight NH-1822 had to make an emergency landing in Nagoya, Japan, on April 25th.
The plane flying from Matsuyama, Japan, was descending toward Nagoya when the crew entered a hold reporting a hydraulic failure.
The plane subsequently landed safely and was towed to the apron.
There were 57 passengers and 4 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-1516 had to return and make an emergency landing in Liberia, Costa Rica, on April 24th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Houston, Texas, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a ‘maintenance issue’.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
SpiceJet flight SG-1004 had to return and make an emergency landing in Vijayawada, India, on April 24th.
The plane took off for Hyderabad, India, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an engine problem.
The plane landed back safely. All 75 people aboard remained unharmed.
Cathay Dragon flight KA-618 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on April 24th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Xiamen, China, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an issue with the landing gear.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air India flight AI-401 made a safe landing after a bird strike near Kolkata, India, on April 24th.
The Boeing 787-800 plane flying from Delhi, India, was on approach to Kolkata when a bird hit it.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All 254 people aboard remained unharmed.
Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV-768 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on April 23rd.
The Airbus A330-300 plane heading from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Chennai, India, was diverted due to indication of a landing gear problem.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 127 people aboard remained safe.
PAL Philippine Airlines flight PR-212 had to return and make an emergency landing at Sydney Airport, Australia, on April 23rd.
The Airbus A340-300 en-route to Manila, Philippines, had to return after the captain failed to retract its landing gear.
The plane landed safely.
All 220 passengers and 12 crew members remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-1871 had to return and make an emergency landing at McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 23rd.
The Airbus A321-200 flying to Charlotte, North Carolina, had to return when its right engine showed overtemp and the crew had to shut it down.
The plane landed safely.
All 197 people aboard remained safe.
Sita Air flight ST-605 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Phaplu Airport, Dudhakunda, Nepal, on April 23rd.
The Dornier Do-228 flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, Nepal, had to divert due to bad weather.
The plane’s wing hit a wall during the landing.
All 14 passengers and 3 crew members remained safe.
Dana Air flight 9J-343 had to return and make an emergency landing in Lagos, Nigeria, on April 21st.
The plane took off for Port Harcourt, Nigeria, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Eurowings flight EW-5805 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 20th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Hanover, Germany, to Vienna, Austria, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air Algerie flight AH-6465 made an emergency landing in In Salah, Algeria, on April 21st.
The plane took off for Algiers, Algeria, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Brussels Airlines flight SN-2835 made an emergency landing in Brussels, Belgium, on April 20th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane took off for Moscow, Russia, but had to turn back due to a hydraulic issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
UTair Aviation flight UT-595 had to return and make an emergency landing in Moscow, Russia, on April 19th.
The Boeing 737-500 plane took off for Usinsk, Russia, but had to turn back after the crew reported issues with the stabilizer.
The plane landed back safely. There were 91 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Surinam Airways flight PY-993 had to return and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on April 19th.
The Airbus A340-300 plane took off for Paramaribo, Surinam, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Air France flight AF-1755 made an emergency landing in Toulouse, France, on April 18th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane heading from Algiers, Algeria, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, was diverted after the crew noticed a hydraulic problem.
The plane landed safely. All 140 passengers and 6 crew members remained unharmed.
Alaska Airlines flight AS-176 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Ketchikan, Alaska, on April 18th.
The Boeing 737-900 plane en-route from Juneau, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, was diverted due to loss of cabin pressure.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
SkyWest Airlines flight OO-5215 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Grand Island, Nebraska, on April 18th.
The plane heading from Omaha, Nebraska, to San Francisco, California, was diverted after the crew received an indication of an open door.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
TAP Portugal flight TP-558 had to make an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on April 17th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane flying from Lisbon, Portugal, was on final approach to Munich when the crew reported an issue with the nose wheel steering and went around.
The plane landed safely on second approach. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
A Skippers Aviation plane made an emergency landing in Meekatharra, Australia, on April 18th.
The plane took off for Leinster, Australia, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Australia’s TSB is investigating the incident.
Brussels Airlines flight SN-255 had to return and make an emergency landing in Brussels, Belgium, on April 17th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed at higher than normal speed. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Thomson Airways flight BY-6133 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Porto, Portugal, on April 17th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane heading from Las Palmas, Spain, to Bristol, England, was diverted due to a cracked windshield.
The plane landed safely. All 220 people aboard remained unharmed.
THY Turkish Airlines flight TK-537 had to return and make an emergency landing at Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Turkey, on April 17.
The Boeing 737-900 flying to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, had to return due to a lightning strike.
The plane landed safely.
No injuries were reported.
Air Canada flight AC-864 made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, Longford, England, on April 16th.
The Airbus A330-300 flying from Montreal, Canada, had an uneventful flight due to a missing outboard main wheel.
The plane landed safely.
All 294 people aboard remained unhurt.
Hawaiian Airlines flight HA-43 had to return and make an emergency landing at San Jose International Airport, California, on April 18th.
The Boeing 767-300 heading to Honolulu, Hawaii, had to return due to a problem with one of its engines.
The plane landed safely.
All 252 passengers and 11 crew members remained safe.
