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.
EgyptAir Express flight MS-392 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Luxor, Egypt, on February 17th.
The plane heading from Aswan to Cairo, Egypt, was diverted after the crew noticed a crack in the windshield.
The plane landed safely. All 71 people aboard remained unharmed.
Laser Airlines flight QL-940 had to return and make an emergency landing in Caracas, Venezuela, on February 17th.
The plane took off for Maracaibo, Venezuela, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. All 148 people aboard remained unharmed.
Flybe flight BE-848 had to return and make an emergency landing in Edinburgh, Scotland, on February 16th.
The plane took off for Birmingham, England, but had to turn back after the crew reported vapor onboard.
The plane landed back uneventfully. There were 65 passengers aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU-552 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, on February 15th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane heading from Heathrow Airport, England, to Shanghai, China, was diverted due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All 186 passengers and 17 crew members remained unharmed.
PSA Airlines flight AA-5320 had to return for an emergency landing in Charlotte, North Carolina, on February 15th.
The FAA reported that the Canadair CRJ-700 plane that took off for Gulfport, Mississippi, had to turn back due to a deer strike during departure.
The plane landed back uneventfully. All 44 people aboard remained safe.
Hop! Airlines flight A5-3557 made an emergency landing in Strasbourg, France, on February 14th.
The plane was flying from Toulouse, France, when the captain declared an emergency, reporting that the first officer has become unconscious.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All 46 passengers aboard remained safe.
The first officer had regained consciousness before the landing. He was taken to hospital.
GoAir flight G8-329 had to make an emergency landing in Delhi, India, on February 14th.
The plane flying from Mumbai, India, was descending toward Delhi when the crew declared an emergency due to an engine problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
TAP Portugal Airlines flight TP-89 had to return and make an emergency landing in Lisbon, Portugal, on February 14th.
The Airbus A340-300 plane took off for Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported an engine issue.
The plane landed back safely. There were 177 passengers and 11 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Spirit Airlines flight NK-153 had to return for an emergency landing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on February 13th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane took off for San Salvador, El Salvador, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
UTair Aviation flight UT-258 had to make an emergency landing at Vnukovo International Airport, Russia, on February 13th.
The Boeing 737-500 plane was flying from Saint Petersburg, Russia, when the crew reported a fuel leak and had to shut down one of the engines.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
British Airways flight BA-123 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom, on February 12th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane took off for Doha, Qatar, but had to turn back after the crew reported an electrical odor onboard.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela flight VH-302 had to return and make an emergency landing in Caracas, Venezuela, on February 12th.
The plane took off for Porlamar, Venezuela, but had to return shortly afterwards after one of the engines emitted flames and a loud bang.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Qeshm Airlines flight 2264 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Yazd, Iran, on February 13th.
Director general of Kerman province’s airports Ali Qasemzadeh said the plane heading from Najaf, Iraq, to Kerman, Iran, was diverted “due to unstable conditions of a passenger.”
The plane landed safely.
A Pegasus Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing in Isfahan, Iran, on February 13th.
The plane en-route from Istanbul, Turkey, to Bahrain was diverted after a passenger became ill.
The plane landed safely. The passenger received medical treatment at the airport.
The flight resumed shortly afterwards.
United Airlines flight UA-972 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on February 12th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane heading from Chicago Illinois, to Brussels, Belgium, was diverted after the crew reported an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Thai Airways flight TG-477 had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand, on February 11th.
The plane was heading to Brisbane, Australia, when the crew decided to return due to engine vibrations.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
KLM flight KL-895 had to return and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on February 10th.
The Boeing 787-900 plane took off for Shanghai, China, but had to turn back after the crew suspected a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-2098 had to return and make an emergency landing in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 10th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, but had to return shortly afterwards due to reports of smoke and haze in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
British Airways flight BA-2732 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Lisbon, Portugal, on February 11th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom, to Lanzarote, Spain, was diverted due to a smoke indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
GoJet Airlines flight DL-6266 had to return and make an emergency landing in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 10th.
The Canadair CRJ-900 plane took off for Raleigh–Durham International Airport, North Carolina, but had to return shortly afterwards due to smell of smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed back safely. All 76 passengers and 4 crew members remained unharmed.
A small plane made an emergency landing in Dallas, Texas, on February 11th.
Authorities said the pilot reported engine issues before the plane landed in a field near South Lancaster Road and Loop 12 in southeast Oak Cliff.
There were 2 people aboard at the time; both of them remained uninjured.
The plane was flying from Dallas Executive Airport at the time.
EasyJet flight U2-1353 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on February 8th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane flying from Geneva, Switzerland, was descending toward Amsterdam when the crew reported hydraulic issues and entered a hold.
The plane continued for a safe landing. There were 152 people aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
Delta Airlines flight 1484 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Rochester, Minnesota, on February 10th.
The plane heading from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Detroit, Michigan, was diverted after a passenger became ill.
The plane landed safely.
The passenger was rushed to a hospital.
Helvetic Airways flight LX-454 had to return and make an emergency landing in Zurich, Switzerland, on February 10th.
The Embraer ERJ-190 plane took off for London, United Kingdom, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an issue with a fuel pump.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK791 had to divert for an emergency landing in Berlin, Germany, on February 9th.
The plane took off from Islamabad, Pakistan, and was en-route to Birmingham, United Kingdom, when a British woman passenger fell ill. The crew declared a medical emergency and diverted to Berlin.
The plane landed safely.
The patient was rushed to a hospital where the doctors pronounced her dead.
