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.
Delta Airlines flight DL-2312 made an emergency landing in Gulfport, Mississippi, on March 12th.
The Boeing 717-200 plane flying from Atlanta, Georgia, was descending toward Gulfport when the crew declared an emergency due to flight control problems.
The plane landed at higher than normal speed. All 98 people aboard remained safe.
JetBlue flight B6-1020 encountered turbulence while descending toward Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 11th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane was flying from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, when it hit turbulence that injured a passenger.
The plane continued for a safe landing.
EgyptAir flight MS-748 had to return and make an emergency landing in Athens, Greece, on March 12th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Cairo, Egypt, but had to turn back due to a technical issue with the equipment used in meal preparation.
The plane landed back safely. All 103 people aboard remained unharmed.
Emirates Airlines flight EK-18 made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, London, England, on March 12th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane flying from Manchester, England, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was diverted after the crew failed to retract landing gear.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Scandinavian Airlines flight SK-7402 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Stavanger, Norway, on March 11th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Las Palmas, Spain, to Haugesund, Norway, was diverted due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All 136 people aboard remained unharmed.
Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR-1842 had to return and make an emergency landing in Cordoba, Argentina, on March 10th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane took off for Rosario, Argentina, but had to return shortly afterwards after one of the engines emitted a loud bang, prompting the crew to shut down the engine.
The plane landed back safely. All 111 passengers and 5 crew members remained unharmed.
Loganair flight BE-6939 made an emergency landing at Sumburgh Airport in Shetland, Scotland, on March 9th.
The plane was flying from Kirkwall, Scotland, when the first officer became unwell, prompting the crew to declare an emergency.
The plane continued for a safe landing. The first officer was rushed to hospital.
Air New Zealand flight NZ-8678 made an emergency landing in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 9th.
The plane took off for Kerikeri, New Zealand, but had to turn back after it was struck by lightning.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Tajik Air flight 7J-645 had to make an emergency landing in Khujand, Tajikistan, on March 9th.
The Boeing 737-300 plane heading from Taraz, Kazakhstan, to Moscow, Russia, was diverted after the crew were informed about tire fragments found on the runway, indicating a blown tire.
The plane landed back safely. All 140 passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Gulf Air flight GF-506 had to return for an emergency landing in Bahrain, on March 9th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but had to return shortly afterwards after the first officer reported feeling unwell.
The plane landed back safely. The first officer was shifted to hospital.
Envoy Air flight MQ-3512 encountered severe turbulence while heading to Omaha, Nebraska, on March 8th.
The Canadair CRJ-700 plane was flying from Chicago, Illinois, when it was hit by turbulence that injured a crew member.
The plane continued for a safe landing.
United Airlines flight UA-164 had to return for an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, on March 8th.
The Boeing 737-900 plane took off for Houston, Texas, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. There were 133 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-352 had to return and make an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 8th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Quetta, Pakistan, but had to turn back due to an issue with the landing gear.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
EasyJet flight U2-4558 made an emergency landing in Schonefeld, Germany, on March 8th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane was flying from Copenhagen, Denmark, when the crew reported fumes on board and requested emergency medical assistance upon landing.
The plane continued for a safe landing.
Jet Airways flight 9W-234 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Shannon airport, Ireland, on March 8th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane heading from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Toronto, Canada, was diverted after the crew suspected a fuel leak.
The plane landed safely. All 320 people aboard remained unharmed.
Oriental Air Bridge flight OC-51 had to return and make an emergency landing in Nagasaki, Japan, on March 8th.
The plane took off for Tsushima, Japan, but had to turn back after white mist was noticed coming through air conditioning outlets.
The plane landed safely. There were 32 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
UPS flight 5X-104 had to divert for an emergency landing at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan, on March 8th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Anchorage, Alaska, to Osaka, Japan, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Air Astana flight KC-672 made an emergency landing in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on March 7th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane was flying from Astana, Kazakhstan, when the crew needed to shut down one of the engines due to a technical problem.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All 69 passengers and 8 crew members remained unharmed.
Hawaiian Airlines flight HA-43 had to return and make an emergency landing in San Jose, California, on March 7th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Honolulu, Hawaii, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a mechanical issue.
The plane landed back safely. All 241 passengers and 11 crew members remained unharmed.
Japan Airlines flight JL-21 made an emergency landing in Tokyo, Japan, on March 6th.
The Boeing 787-800 plane took off for Beijing, China, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a crack in captain’s windshield.
The plane landed safely. There were 169 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Cathay Pacific flight CX-9993 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on March 6th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Zhuhai, China, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Lufthansa flight LH-758 made an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on March 6th.
The Airbus A340-300 plane en-route from Frankfurt, Germany, to Chennai, India, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 162 people aboard remained safe.
Air Astana flight KC-881 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, on March 5th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Almaty to Uralsk, Kazakhstan, was diverted after the crew reported a bleed air problem.
The plane landed safely. There were 71 passengers and 6 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-721 made a safe landing following bird strikes near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, on March 5th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane flying from Charlotte, North Carolina, was on final approach when the left engine ingested several birds.
The plane continued for a safe landing. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
SpiceJet flight SG-192 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Hyderabad, India, on March 5th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Bangalore to Delhi, India, was diverted due to a foul odor coming from a lavatory.
The plane landed safely. All 188 passengers and 6 crew members remained unharmed.
