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.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-486 had to return and make an emergency landing in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 4th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane took off for Houston, Texas, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Hop Airlines flight A5-1278 made an emergency landing in Oslo, Norway, on December 3rd.
The plane was flying from Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, when the crew reported a slat fail message and declared an emergency.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Frontier Airlines flight F9-1334 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 4th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane heading from Chicago, Illinois, to West Palm Beach, Florida, was diverted due to issues with the fuel system.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 205 passengers and 7 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
SkyWest Airlines flight 5588 made an emergency landing in San Antonio, Texas, on December 4th.
The plane took off from Houston, Texas, and was on final approach to Monterrey, Mexico, when the crew reported an unsafe gear indication and decided to divert.
The aircraft’s nose gear collapsed upon landing in San Antonio.
One passenger sustained a minor injury in the accident.
Qatar Airways flight QR-708 had to make an emergency landing at Lajes Field, Portugal, after encountering severe turbulence on December 4th.
The plane was heading from Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, to Doha, Qatar, when it ran into severe turbulence that injured 3 people.
The plane landed safely. The injured were taken to hospital.
JetKonnect Airlines flight S2-4364 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Hyderabad, India, on December 3rd.
The Boeing 737-800 plane heading from Kolkata to Bangalore, India, was diverted after the crew reported a hydraulic issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 147 passengers and 8 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
Lufthansa flight LH-412 had to return and make an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on December 3rd.
The plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to return shortly afterwards due to reports of smell onboard.
The plane landed back safely after dumping excess fuel. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Azul Brazilian Airlines flight AD-2446 made an emergency landing in Fortaleza, Brazil, on December 2nd.
According to the airline, the Embraer ERJ-195 plane heading from Sao Luis, to Recife, Brazil, was diverted due to technical issues.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-107 made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom, on December 2nd.
The Boeing 767-300 plane was heading from Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, to Salt Lake City, Utah, when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unhurt.
EasyJet Switzerland flight U2-1234 had to make an emergency landing in Stuttgart, Germany, on December 2nd.
According to the airline, the airbus A320-200 plane was flying from Budapest, Hungary, to Saint-Louis, France, when the crew decided to divert due to a technical defect.
The plane landed safely. All 162 passengers aboard remained safe.
China Southern Airlines flight CZ-6976 made an emergency landing in Lanzhou, China, on December 1st.
The plane flying from Shanghai to Urumqi, China, was diverted after a passenger’s cell phone started emitting smoke.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
Envoy Air flight MQ-3526 had to divert for an emergency landing in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 29th.
The Embraer ERJ-145 plane was heading from Sioux City, Iowa, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, when the crew reported that the flaps could not be fully retracted.
The plane was diverted to Kansas City where it landed safely.
All 45 people aboard remained unharmed.
Avianca Brazil Airlines flight O6-6378 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Brasilia, Brazil, on November 29th.
The plane heading from Sao Paulo to Juazeiro Do Norte, Brazil, was diverted after the crew reported smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. All 99 passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Azul Brazilian Airlines flight AD-8751 had to return and make an emergency landing in Lisbon, Portugal, on December 1st.
The Airbus A330-200 plane took off for Sao Paulo, Brazil, but had to turn back due to a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Condor Airlines flight DE-2199 made an emergency landing in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on November 28th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane was flying from Varadero, Cuba, to Frankfurt, Germany, when the crew declared an emergency due to electrical issues.
The plane landed safely. There were 275 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight AA-730 had to return and make an emergency landing in Charlotte, North Carolina, on December 1st.
The Airbus A330-300 plane took off for Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom, but had to return shortly afterwards due to engine vibrations.
The plane landed back uneventfully. All 229 people aboard remained safe.
Aer Lingus flight EI-495 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on December 1st.
The plane heading from Faro, Portugal, to Dublin, Ireland, was diverted after the crew received an indication of a hydraulic issue.
The plane landed safely. All 102 passengers and 6 crew members remained unharmed.
VivaColombia flight FC-8170 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Medellin, Colombia, on November 28th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Bogota to San Andres Island, Colombia, was diverted due to a suspected fuel leak.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Hop Airlines flight A5-4318 had to make an emergency landing in Brussels, Belgium, on November 28th.
The plane was flying from Lyon, France, when it experienced issues with the flaps.
The plane landed uneventfully at a higher than normal speed. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Singapore Airlines flight SQ-336 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Dubai International Airport, UAE, on November 29.
The Airbus A380-800 flying from Singapore to Paris, France, had to divert due to some issue with one of its engines.
The plane landed safely.
No injuries were reported.
Envoy Air flight MQ-3721 made an emergency landing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on November 28th.
The plane took off for Chicago, Illinois, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a crack in a cabin window.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-837 had to return and make an emergency landing in San Francisco, California, on November 28th.
According to the airline, the plane took off for Tokyo Narita Airport, Japan, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a mechanical issue with one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. There were 202 passengers and 15 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-2408 had to return and make an emergency landing in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 28th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Antalya, Turkey, but had to turn back after the left engine ingested birds.
The plane landed back safely. All 176 people aboard remained unharmed.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
EasyJet flight U2-6931 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Newcastle, United Kingdom, on November 28th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Edinburgh, United Kingdom, to Hamburg, Germany, was diverted after the crew reported fumes in the cabin.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 161 passengers and 6 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Swiss International Airlines flight LX-1574 had to return and make an emergency landing in Zurich, Switzerland, on November 28th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Vienna, Austria, but had to return shortly afterwards after the right engine emitted a loud bang.
The plane landed back safely. All 167 people aboard remained unharmed.
