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.
Air France flight AF-378 had to return for an emergency landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, on January 8th.
The Airbus A340-300 plane took off for Detroit, Michigan, but had to turn back due to a gear issue.
The plane landed safely after dumping excess fuel. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Shaheen Air flight NL-902D made an emergency landing in Lahore, Pakistan, on January 8th.
The Airbus A330-200 plane flying from Manchester, England, was descending toward Lahore when the crew declared an emergency due to an engine fire indication.
The crew had activated the fire suppression system before the plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Yakutia Airlines flight R3-495 had to return for an emergency landing in Yakutsk, Russia, on January 7th.
The plane took off for Khabarovsk, Russia, but had to turn back due to indications of a gear problem.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
United Airlines flight UA-972 had to return and make an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, on January 7th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Brussels, Belgium, but had to return shortly afterwards after right hand engine’s anti-ice systems failed.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Austrian Airlines flight OS-917 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Linz, Austria, on January 7th.
The plane heading from Vienna to Salzburg, Austria, was diverted due to issues with cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely. All 56 people aboard remained unharmed.
Yakutia Airlines flight R3-497 made an emergency landing in Yakutsk, Russia, on January 5th.
The plane took off for Blagoveshchensk, Russia, but had to return shortly afterwards due to indication of an open door.
The plane landed safely. There were 50 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-102 made an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on January 7th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane was flying from Houston, Texas, when the crew declared an emergency due to a flaps problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-728 had to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom, on January 7th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane flying from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was on final approach when the crew declared an emergency due to an unsafe nose gear indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Tigerair flight TR-2993 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on January 6th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Taipei, Taiwan, to Singapore, was diverted after the crew noticed a burning odor.
The plane landed safely. All 163 people aboard remained unharmed.
SpiceJet flight SG-136 made an emergency landing in Delhi, India, on January 6th.
The Boeing 737-900 plane was flying from Bangalore, India, when the crew declared an emergency due to indications of a hydraulic leak.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-707 had to make an emergency landing in Jeju Island, South Korea, on January 5th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane flying from Seoul, South Korea, to Angeles, Philippines, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 166 passengers and 8 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
JetBlue Airways flight B6-213 had to divert for an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, on January 5th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, to Long Beach, California, was diverted due to a suspected fuel leak.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Spirit Airlines flight NK-866 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Lubbock, Texas, on January 4th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Los Angeles, California, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, was diverted after the crew noticed a foul odor on-board.
The plane landed safely. All 94 people aboard remained unharmed.
Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter (LGW) flight AB-6838 had to make an emergency landing in Stuttgart, Germany, on January 5th.
The plane flying from Dusseldorf, Germany, was on final approach when the crew received an unsafe gear indication.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Alrosa Airlines flight 6R-9961 had to return and make an emergency landing in Mirny, Russia, on January 5th.
The plane took off for Novosibirsk, Russia, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All 144 passengers and 8 crew members remained unharmed.
Nordic Regional Airlines flight AY-499 had to make an emergency landing in Helsinki, Finland, on January 3rd.
The plane took off for Joensuu, Finland, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew failed to retract the landing gear.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Nordica Airlines flight LO-8177 had to return for an emergency landing in Tallinn, Estonia, on January 3rd.
The plane took off for Brussels, Belgium, but had to turn back due to fluctuations in engine oil pressure.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
South African Airways flight SA-204 had to return and make an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on January 4th.
The Airbus A340-600 plane took off for Johannesburg, South Africa, but had to turn back due to an issue with flap retraction.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
United Airlines flight UA-892 made an emergency landing in San Francisco, California, on January 3rd.
The Boeing 747-400 plane was flying from Seoul, South Korea, when the crew entered a hold, reporting a loose flap track fairing cover.
The plane continued for a safe landing. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-3556 had to divert for an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 2nd.
The Boeing 737-300 plane was flying from San Antonio, Texas, to Orlando, Florida, when it lost cabin pressure, prompting the crew to divert.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 133 people aboard remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-1868 had to make an emergency landing in Orlando, Florida, on January 2nd.
The Airbus A330-200 plane was flying from Charlotte, North Carolina, when a strange odor on-board gave headaches to 7 crew members.
The plane continued for a safe landing. The crew members were taken to hospital.
All 89 passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Brussels Airlines flight SN-241 had to divert and make an emergency landing at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, France, on January 2nd.
The Airbus A330-300 plane heading from Monrovia, Liberia, to Brussels, Belgium, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke and a burning odor aboard.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
TUI Airlines Netherlands flight OR-7688 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 2nd.
The plane was flying from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, to Warsaw, Poland, when the crew suspected a fuel leak and decided to divert.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained safe.
United Airlines flight UA-104 had to return for an emergency landing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on January 1st.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Houston, Texas, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported a flaps issue.
The plane landed safely at a higher than normal speed. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Blue Air flight 0B-105 had to return and make an emergency landing in Bucharest, Romania, on December 29th.
The plane took off for Paris Beauvais Tille Airport, France, but had to turn back after it lost cabin pressure.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
