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.
American Airlines flight AA-1799 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 12th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane heading from Charlotte, North Carolina, to San Francisco, California, was diverted due to a hydraulic leak.
The plane landed safely. There were 160 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Air France flight AF-166 made an emergency landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, on December 12th.
The plane took off for Bangkok, Thailand, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an engine problem.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Aeroflot Airlines flight SU-1871 had to return for an emergency landing in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on December 12th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Moscow, Russia, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew received a cargo door indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-238 had to divert and make an emergency landing in West Palm Beach, Florida, on December 11th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Miami, Florida, to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Virginia, was diverted due to a suspected fuel leak.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Cathay Dragon flight KA-169 made an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on December 11th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Kolkata, India, was on approach to Hong Kong when the crew declared an emergency due to an issue with the flaps.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
RusLine flight 7R-283 had to return and make an emergency landing in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on December 12th.
The Canadair CRJ-100 plane took off for Oslo, Norway, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported nose gear problems.
The plane landed safely after burning off excess fuel. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Cargojet flight W8-1894 made an emergency landing in Cologne, Germany, on December 12th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Hamilton, Canada, but had to turn back due to an engine problem.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
China Airlines flight CI-17 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Wake Island, United States, on December 12th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane heading from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Tokyo, Japan, was diverted due to issues with one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Lufthansa Airlines flight LH-441 had to divert and make an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on December 12th.
The plane flying from Houston, Texas, to Frankfort, Germany, was diverted due to a bomb threat.
According to the airline, “LH441 was diverted as a matter of precaution in coordination with the relevant authorities and the pilot… Passengers disembarked and LH staff will take care of them. The aircraft will be searched.”
The authorities gave the all-clear after thoroughly searching the aircraft.
American Airlines flight AA-2549 hit severe turbulence near Denver, Colorado, on December 10th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off from Chicago, Illinois, and was heading to San Diego, California, when it encountered turbulence that injured four people, including three crew members and a passenger.
The plane continued for a safe landing in San Diego.
American Airlines flight AA-2400 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Denver, Colorado, on December 11th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane heading from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, to Vail, Colorado, was diverted due to an engine issue.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Hong Kong Airlines flight HX-690 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on December 11th.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Sapporo, Japan, but had to turn back due to an engine failure.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
PenAir flight KS-2921 had to make an emergency landing in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on December 9th.
The plane flying from Portland, Oregon, was descending toward Klamath Falls when the crew declared an emergency due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 20 people aboard remained safe.
PAWA Dominicana Airlines flight 7N-750 had to return and make an emergency landing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on December 9th.
The plane took off for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but had to return shortly afterwards due to failure of left engine.
The plane landed safely. There were 112 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-30 made an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on December 9th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane was flying from Newark, New Jersey, when the crew declared an emergency due to a flaps issue.
The plane landed at higher than normal speed. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Austrian Airlines flight OS-472 had to divert for an emergency landing in Salzburg, Austria, on December 9th.
According to the airline, the plane heading from Basel, Switzerland, to Vienna, Austria, was diverted due to an engine oil pressure indication.
The plane landed safely. There were 74 passengers and 4 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-43 had to return and make an emergency landing in Dallas, Texas, on December 7th.
The Boeing 737-300 plane took off for Houston, Texas, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported issues with cabin pressure.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Korean Airlines flight KE-510 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on December 5th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane flying from Stockholm, Sweden, to Seoul, South Korea, was diverted after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Caribbean Airlines flight BW-1541 made an emergency landing in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on December 5th.
The plane was flying from Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, when the crew declared an emergency due to a fire indication for left engine.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Danish Air Transport flight DX-31 had to return for an emergency landing in Bornholm, Denmark, on December 3rd.
The plane took off for Copenhagen, Denmark, but had to turn back after the crew noticed smoke in the cabin and cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All 14 passengers and 4 crew members remained unharmed.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-214 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Jackson, Mississippi, on December 6th.
The plane flying from Atlanta, Georgia, to Houston, Texas, was diverted due to loss of cabin pressure.
The plane, carrying 118 passengers and 5 crew members, landed safely.
The airline said a flight attendant was taken to hospital after landing.
Delta Airlines flight DL-2392 had to return for an emergency landing in Dayton, Ohio, on December 6th.
The plane took off for Atlanta, Georgia, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported failure of right engine.
The plane landed safely. There were 123 passengers and 6 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
Yakutia Airlines flight R3-495 had to return and make an emergency landing in Yakutsk, Russia, on December 5th.
The plane took off for Khabarovsk, Russia, but had to turn back due to a nose gear issue.
The plane landed safely. All 96 passengers and 5 crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-2570 made an emergency landing in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 5th.
The plane took off for Atlanta, Georgia, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported a bird strike.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 144 passengers and 5 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-521 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, on December 5th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane heading from Seoul, South Korea, to London, United Kingdom, was diverted due to an engine fire indication.
The plane landed safely. All 199 people aboard remained unharmed.
