Middle East Airlines flight ME-266 had to return and make an emergency landing in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 6th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Beirut, Lebanon, but had to turn back due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-2823 had to return and make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on May 18th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a fuel balance problem.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
What: Continental Airlines
Where: Nicaragua Airport
When: Friday
Who: 150 passengers
Why: After citing “mechanic failures in the undercarriage” the plane circled to burn off fuel and made an emergency landing.
Vueling Airlines flight VY-8549 was intercepted by two Czech Gripen fighter jets on May 27th.
The Airbus A320-200, en-route from Helsinki, Finland, to Barcelona, Spain, was about to enter Czech Airspace, however, the crew did not establish contact with Czech Air Traffic Control. Two Gripen fighter jets were therefore dispatched that contacted the flight on emergency frequency.
The communication was restored around 15 minutes after the plane entered Czech Airspace.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Mehdi Nazarinia
What: Qantas Airbus A330-200 en route from Sydney to Melbourne
Where: Sydney
When: Mar 6th 2012
Why: The flight was taking off when the plane suffered a bird strike. Passengers inside the plane heard a “bang” and an engine began vibrating.
Pilots the plane safely in Sydney, where passengers disembarked and waited less than three hours for a replacement plane.
Passengers commended the Qantas crew for handling the situation efficiently.
One gets the impression that a Qantas flight crew emergency response is the direct opposite of the chaotic endangerment response of the Costa Concordia (cruise) crew. Not at all the same situation, and yet, in many ways, similar. In both situations, the lives of the passengers are dependent on the efficiency and emergency response of the captain and crew.
A Flyme flight had to make an emergency landing at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in Malé, Maldives, at around 11:49 p.m. on November 22.
The plane was on its way from Malé to Baa Atoll Dharavandhoo Island when a passenger passed a written bomb threat to the pilot through a crew member. The pilot then immediately turned back and made an emergency landing in Malé.
There were 11 passengers and 3 crew members aboard at the time; all of them were evacuated safely. Authorities said that 10 out of 11 passengers were foreign nationals while only 1 was local.
The Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) searched the plane, however, they did not find any explosives.
The Police are investigating.
Delta Airlines flight DL-1137 made an emergency landing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 27th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane heading from San Francisco, California, to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, was diverted due to an engine failure.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
