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.
Aeroflot Airlines flight SU-2391 had to return and make an emergency landing in Zurich, Switzerland, on February 26th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Moscow, Russia, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported an engine stall.
The plane landed safely after burning off excess fuel. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-8806 made an emergency landing in Delhi, India, on February 25th.
The plane en-route from Mumbai, India, to Kathmandu, Nepal, was diverted due to a technical issue.
The plane landed safely. There were 255 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
KLM flight KL-643 had to divert and make an emergency landing in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on February 25th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane heading from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, was diverted after the captain became ill.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
The captain was taken to a hospital.
Air Berlin flight AB-7416 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Daytona Beach, Florida, on February 25th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane heading from Dusseldorf, Germany, to Cancun, Mexico, was diverted after smoke was noticed in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Shanghai Airlines flight FM-852 had to return for an emergency landing in Taipei, Taiwan, on February 24th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Shanghai, China, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew noticed a problem with one of the engines and decided to shut it down.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 299 people aboard remained safe.
Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-1159 had to return and make an emergency landing in Guangzhou, China, on February 22nd.
The plane took off for Bali, Indonesia, but had to turn back after the crew received indication of an open passenger door.
The plane landed back safely. There were 180 passengers and 12 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-1591 had to return and make an emergency landing in Charlotte, North Carolina, on February 24th.
The plane took off for Atlanta, Georgia, but had to return shortly afterwards after it hit a flock of birds.
The plane landed safely. All 122 people aboard remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight 4378 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Omaha, Nebraska, on February 23rd.
The plane heading from Denver, Colorado, to Chicago, Illinois, was diverted after the crew noticed an unusual odor in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 140 passengers and 5 crew members remained safe.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-183 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, on February 23rd.
The Airbus A330-200 plane heading from Istanbul, Turkey, to Havana, Cuba, was diverted due to a mechanical problem.
The plane landed safely. There were 173 passengers and 13 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Avianca Airlines flight O6-6304 had to return for an emergency landing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 23rd.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Recife, Brazil, but had to turn back after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 156 people aboard remained safe.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Air Astana flight KC-921 made an emergency landing in Frankfurt, Germany, on February 23rd.
The Boeing 757-200 plane flying from Astana, Kazakhstan, was descending toward Frankfurt when the crew declared an emergency due to a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Flybe flight BE-783 had to return and make an emergency landing in Glasgow, Scotland, on February 23rd.
The plane took off for Birmingham, England, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All 46 people aboard remained unharmed.
ExpressJet flight EV-4114 had to divert for an emergency landing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on February 22nd.
The plane flying from Houston, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina, was diverted due to a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed uneventfully.
Everyone aboard remained safe.
Virgin Australia flight VA-1188 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Williamtown, New South Wales, Australia, on February 21st.
The plane heading from Port Macquarie, to Sydney, Australia, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter (LGW) flight AB-8882 made an emergency landing in Stuttgart, Germany, on February 21st.
The plane flying from Dusseldorf, Germany, to Florence, Italy, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Qatar Airways flight QR-82 had to divert for an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on February 21st.
The Airbus A330-300 plane heading from Berlin, Germany, to Doha, Qatar, was diverted after the crew failed to retract landing gear.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Air Leisure flight AL-730 had to return and make an emergency landing in Cairo, Egypt, on February 18th.
The Airbus A340-200 plane took off for Shanghai, China, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew received a cargo door open indication.
The plane landed back safely. All 265 people aboard remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-1343 had to return and make an emergency landing in Cancun, Mexico, on February 20th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed back safely. There were 185 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Spring Airlines flight 9C-8617 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Shenyang, China, on February 18th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Harbin, China, to Nagoya, Japan, was diverted after a smartphone and a power bank caught fire in the overhead locker.
The crew had cooled down the items before the plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
SkyWest Airlines flight OO-3079 had to return and make an emergency landing in Chicago, Illinois, on February 18th.
The plane took off for Salt Lake City, Utah, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew failed to retract landing gear. The plane landed back safely.
All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
An Indian Air Force helicopter had to make an emergency landing in a field in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, on February 19th.
The MI 8 helicopter was heading from Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru, Karnataka to Sulur Air Force Station, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, when the pilot decided to land in emergency due to a technical snag.
The chopper landed safely in a field near Koppa Gate of Bannerghatta, Bengaluru.
There were 6 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Air India flight 130 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Ankara, Turkey, on February 16th.
The plane flying from London, England, to Mumbai, India, was diverted after a 63-year-old Portuguese passenger suffered a suspected cardiac arrest.
The plane landed safely. The passenger, identified as Agnelo Bareto, was rushed to a hospital.
Jet Airways flight 9W-118 was intercepted by two fighter planes due to loss of communication on February 16.
The Boeing 777-300 plane was heading from Mumbai, India, to London, England, when it lost communication with the ATC.
Two fighter jets intercepted the aircraft and subsequently, the communication was restored.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-2575 made an emergency landing in Austin, Texas, on February 17th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Chicago, Illinois, but had to turn back after the crew reported an odor in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 146 passengers and 6 crew members remained safe.
British Airways flight BA-4454 had to make an emergency landing at London City Airport, England, on February 17th.
The plane flying from Rotterdam, Netherlands, was descending toward London City Airport when the crew reported smell of smoke on-board and declared an emergency.
The plane continued for a safe landing. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
