Emergency landings in Portugal: rising incidents raise questions about flight safety

Photo: Travel and Tour World

From January 2023 to October 2025, Portugal recorded at least 27 emergency landings. Incidents occurred in Faro, Porto, Lisbon, Porto Santo and Madeira, reports Travel and Tour World. Most diversions were caused by technical malfunctions, followed by medical emergencies and in-flight conflicts.

Three years under pressure: what is happening with flights

The report covering 2023–2025 shows that emergency situations have become almost monthly. In 2023, seven incidents were logged — from severe turbulence on a TAAG flight to a series of technical issues on Ryanair services in December. In 2024, the number rose to eleven, including passenger fights, smoke in the cabin on a Jet2 aircraft, pressurisation problems, an engine failure and an emergency landing of a Eurofighter.

In 2025, nine cases were recorded over ten months: mainly engine failures, system malfunctions, degraded cabin air quality and sudden health issues among pilots and passengers. Together they illustrate how broad the range of causes has become.

Main causes

Most emergency landings were linked to technical and operational failures — engine issues, hydraulic problems, depressurisation, smoke or fumes on board, and bird strikes or damage during take-off. For example, in July 2025 a Delta Air Lines aircraft (Madrid–New York) diverted to the Azores due to an engine problem, highlighting the strategic role of the archipelago for transatlantic routes. In March 2025, smoke was detected on a Lisbon–Heathrow flight; nine people were hospitalised — one of the few cases with actual injuries.

Medical emergencies rank second. Crew members experienced health issues, passengers suffered injuries or cardiac events. A notable example occurred in August 2025 when a Ryanair captain lost consciousness and the first officer carried out the landing — a rare but telling situation.

The third category is disruptive passengers. Fights, intoxication and refusal to obey crew instructions forced several flights to divert to Faro, Porto or Ponta Delgada.

Where it happens most often

Faro and Porto — Portugal’s busiest tourist gateways — account for the majority of diversions. Most technical issues, in-flight conflicts and medical emergencies end up there.

Porto Santo and the Azores have become important diversion points for transatlantic flights: Delta and TAP services were redirected there after warnings of technical faults or deteriorating cabin air quality. Lisbon logs fewer incidents, but it received the TAAG flight that arrived with multiple turbulence-related injuries.

How emergency services respond

Portuguese airports frequently declare alerts and mobilise dozens of responders. In some cases, more than 60 firefighters and numerous emergency vehicles were deployed. Most landings were completed safely despite the severity of the situation. However, several episodes revealed system vulnerabilities: nine people hospitalised after smoke in March 2025, injuries from turbulence in 2023, temporary runway closures and cascading delays.

Overall, the rising number of incidents and their increasing complexity are worrying. An ageing fleet, growing passenger volumes, worsening on-board behaviour and climate-related impacts are creating new pressure points. Portugal is only one example, but it clearly illustrates how the aviation sector is struggling with traffic load and resource limits.

Broader trends

The ICAO State of Global Aviation Safety 2025 report notes that global aviation is entering a period of elevated pressure: risk factors linked to technical condition, human performance and climate exposure are growing. The structure of incidents is becoming multilayered, often combining several triggers at once — from equipment failures to crew fatigue and unstable weather. This increases the load on airlines, which must revise procedures and strengthen monitoring, and on regulators, who need to update safety standards.

Another trend shaping Europe is climate-related pressure. Extreme weather events now directly impact the frequency of diversions and delays, a pattern already reflected in reports on the recovery of the European aviation market.