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.
A Delta Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, England, on December 17th.
The plane heading from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, to Rome, Italy, was diverted due to a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Lufthansa flight GEC-8332 had to make an emergency landing in Cologne, Germany, on December 17th.
The plane heading from Frankfurt, Germany, to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, was diverted after the crew noticed an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Air France flight AF-6123 had to return and make an emergency landing in Toulouse, France, on December 16th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Paris Orly Airport, France, but had to turn back due to an engine problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-793 had to return and make an emergency landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 15th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane took off for Charlotte, North Carolina, but had to turn back due to a mechanical issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Spirit Airlines flight NK-395 made an emergency landing in Denver, Colorado, on December 16th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Las Vegas, Nevada, was diverted due to fumes on board.
The plane landed safely. Three passengers and two crew members were treated by medical teams at the airport.
KLM Cityhopper flight KL-1767 made an emergency landing in Maastricht, Netherlands, on December 16th.
The Embraer ERJ-190 plane heading from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Frankfurt, Germany, was diverted due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Tigerair flight TT-271 made an emergency landing in Sydney, Australia, on December 17th.
The plane took off for Melbourne, Australia, but had to turn back after an incident onboard prompted security concerns.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Details about the nature of threat are not known at the moment.
An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Toledo Express Airport, Ohio, on December 17th.
The plane heading from Chicago, Illinois, to Baltimore, Maryland, was diverted due to a mechanical issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
EasyJet flight U2-6950 made an emergency landing in Manchester, England, on December 14th.
The plane heading from Tenerife, Spain, to Edinburgh, Scotland, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely.
Virgin Australia flight DJ-660 suffered engine issues near Canberra, Australia, on December 13th.
The plane flying from Sydney, Australia, was descending toward Canberra when the both engines temporarily rolled back one after the other.
The crew subsequently switched to manual ignition and continued for a safe landing.
IndiGo flight 6E-905 made an emergency landing at Biju Patnaik international airport, India, on December 15th.
The plane heading from Guwahati to Chennai, India, was diverted after a 3-month-old child suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely.
Envoy Air flight MQ-3924 made an emergency landing at San Antonio International Airport, Texas, on December 13th.
The plane heading from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Del Rio International Airport, Texas, was diverted after the crew noticed an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed safely. All twenty-six people aboard remained unharmed.
Ural Airlines flight U6-9785 made an emergency landing in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on December 14th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off from Ufa, Russia, but suffered a tail strike on departure.
The crew continued the takeoff and subsequently decided to land in Yekaterinburg.
The flight was originally bound for Nizhnevartovsk, Russia.
Norwegian Air Shuttle flight DY-1933 made an emergency landing in Shiraz, Iran, on December 14th.
The plane heading from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Oslo, Norway, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR-1324 made an emergency landing in Tucuman, Argentina, on December 14th.
The Boeing 737-8MAX plane heading from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, was diverted due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
A Delta Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Bradley International Airport, Connecticut, on December 13th.
The plane took off for Atlanta, Georgia, but had to turn back due to an engine explosion.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
An EasyJet flight made an emergency landing at Bristol Airport, England, on December 13th.
The plane heading from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Madrid, Spain, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely.
An Aeromexico plane suffered a radome damage on approach to Tijuana, Mexico, on December 12th.
The incident happened when the Boeing 737-800 plane was performing flight AM-770 from Guadalajara, Mexico.
The plane continued for a safe landing.
It is believed that the damage was caused by a drone strike.
Bulgaria Air flight FB-408 made an emergency landing in Vienna, Austria, on December 11th.
The plane heading from Brussels, Belgium, to Sofia, Bulgaria, was diverted due to a cracked windshield.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air France flight AF-457 made an emergency landing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on December 10th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, but had to turn back due to issues with the speed indicators, autopilot and auto thrust.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
IndiGo flight 6E-237 made an emergency landing in Kolkata, India, on December 10th.
The Airbus A320-200N plane flying from Jaipur, India, was descending toward Kolkata, India, when the crew declared an emergency due to smoke in the cockpit and cabin.
The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-4454 made an emergency landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 9th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Lubbock, Texas, to Las Vegas, Nevada, was diverted due to a lavatory smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Etihad Airways flight EY-474 made an emergency landing at Phuket International Airport, Thailand, on December 9th.
The plane heading from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to Jakarta, Indonesia, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. The patient, identified as 63-year-old Indonesian citizen Syafrial Syarifun Waham, was rushed to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Tigerair Australia flight TT-311 made an emergency landing in Brisbane, Australia, on December 9th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Adelaide, Australia, but had to turn back due to a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-5677 had to return and make an emergency landing in Des Moines, Iowa, on December 8th.
The plane took off for Charlotte, North Carolina, but had to turn back due to an issue with the cabin pressure.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
