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.
UtAir flight UT-456 made an emergency landing in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, on December 27th.
The Boeing 737-500 plane heading from Noyabrsk to Moscow, Russia, was diverted due to indication of an issue with the air conditioning system.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Korean Air flight KE-753 made an emergency landing in Busan, South Korea, on December 26th.
The plane took off for Nagoya, Japan, but had to turn back due to an engine failure.
The plane landed back safely. All sixty-four people aboard remained unharmed.
Japan Air Commuter flight 3X-3687 had to return and make an emergency landing in Kagoshima, Japan, on December 26th.
The plane took off for Matsuyama, Japan, but had to turn back due to an engine problem.
The plane landed back safely.
Air Canada flight AC-535 had to return and make an emergency landing in Vancouver, Canada, on December 24th.
The Boeing 737-8 MAX plane took off for Kahului, Hawaii, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a decreasing hydraulic quantity.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and sixty-seven passengers and six crew members remained unharmed.
British Airways flight BA-2578 made an emergency landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, on December 26th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Gatwick Airport, England, to Turin, Italy, was diverted after a burning odor was noticed in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-20 made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on December 25th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane heading from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, to Heathrow Airport, England, was diverted due to an issue with the lavatories.
The plane landed safely.
Delta Airlines flight DL-1383 made an emergency landing at Bradley International Airport, Connecticut, on December 24th.
The plane took off from Atlanta, Georgia, but a tire deflated shortly afterwards. The crew decided to continue the flight and landed uneventfully.
All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-1429 made an emergency landing in Miami, Florida, on December 24th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Managua, Nicaragua, but had to turn back after the crew received a door open indication.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and sixty-eight people aboard remained unharmed.
S7 Airlines flight S7-3051 had to return and make an emergency landing in Novosibirsk, Russia, on December 24th.
The plane took off for Nizhnevartovsk, Russia, but had to turn back after the crew failed to retract the landing gear.
The plane landed safely. All sixty-seven passengers and four crew members remained unharmed.
VietJet flight VJ-861 made an emergency landing in Taipei, Taiwan, on December 24th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Seoul, South Korea, to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air Baltic flight BT-9802 returned to Amsterdam, Netherlands, on December 24th.
The Boeing 737-500 plane took off for Riga, Latvia, but had to turn back after the crew failed to retract the landing gear.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-128 made an emergency landing in Shemya, Alaska, on December 24th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Beijing, China, to Seattle, Washington, was diverted due to an issue with one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and ninety-four people aboard remained unharmed.
S7 Airlines flight S7-1023 had to return and make an emergency landing at Moscow Domodedovo Airport, Russia, on December 23rd.
The plane took off for Sochi, Russia, but had to turn back due to an engine failure.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and ninety-two people aboard remained unharmed.
Lufthansa Cityline flight LH-843 made an emergency landing in Hamburg, Germany, on December 23rd.
The plane heading from Billund, Denmark, to Frankfurt, Germany, was diverted due to a burning odor on-board.
The plane landed safely. All ninety people aboard remained unharmed.
China Southern Airlines flight CZ-369 made an emergency landing in Penang, Malaysia, on December 23rd.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Guangzhou, China, but had to turn back after a power bank stored in an overhead bin started emitting smoke.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
IndiGo flight 6E 822 made an emergency landing in Bhubaneswar, India, on December 22nd.
The plane heading from Kolkata to Bengaluru, India, was diverted after a 32-year-old male passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. The patient was rushed to the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar where the doctors later declared him dead.
American Airlines flight AA-64 made an emergency landing in San Antonio, Texas, on December 21st.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Miami, Florida, to Phoenix, Arizona, was diverted due to an engine issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Kuwait Airways flight KU-304 had to return and make an emergency landing in Mumbai, India, on December 22nd.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Kuwait City, Kuwait, but had to turn back due to issues with cabin pressurization.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Edelweiss flight 8R-402 had to return and make an emergency landing in Zurich, Switzerland, on December 22nd.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Pristina, Kosovo, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and seventy-two passengers and six crew members remained unharmed.
An Emirates flight made an emergency landing in Ahmedabad, India, on December 22nd.
The plane heading from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Yangon, Myanmar, was diverted after a 5-year-old passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. The child was taken to a hospital.
Swiss International Airlines flight LX-2200 made an emergency landing in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 21st.
The plane took off for Marrakesh, Morocco, but had to turn back due to an engine problem.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-263 had to return and make an emergency landing in Lahore, Pakistan, on December 21st.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 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.
LATAM flight LA-8084 made an emergency landing in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on December 20th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane heading from Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil, to Heathrow Airport, England, was diverted due to electrical problems.
Several tires deflated as the plane touched down.
All three hundred and forty-one passengers and sixteen crew members remained unharmed.
Swiss International Airlines flight LX-352 made an emergency landing in Zurich, Switzerland, on December 19th.
The plane heading from Geneva, Switzerland, to Heathrow Airport, England, was diverted due to engine vibrations.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air Arabia Maroc flight 3O-122 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on December 18th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Nador, Morocco, but had to turn back due to multiple bird strikes.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
