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Emergency Landings in France: Europe’s Aviation Stress Test
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France’s aviation system is among the busiest in Europe. From early 2022 through November 2025, the country’s airports repeatedly handled flights forced to divert or return to their departure points, according to Travel and Tour World. Aircraft operated by Ryanair, Air France, easyJet, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, British Airways, and Delta have all been involved in such incidents.
2022: an “engine surge”
On January 21, 2022, an Air France Airbus A318 operating a flight from Paris Orly to Perpignan experienced what was described as an “engine surge” shortly after take-off. The crew decided to return immediately to Orly. The landing was uneventful and passengers received assistance. The airline stressed that the decision fully complied with manufacturer guidelines and internal safety procedures.
On April 5, Air France again drew attention when a Boeing 777 flying from New York to Paris Charles de Gaulle encountered flight control issues during approach. The pilots initiated a go-around and subsequently landed safely. France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) opened a formal investigation, underscoring the seriousness with which the incident was treated.
2023–2024: landing on a roadway
Emergency landings are not limited to major airlines. In December 2023, a small twin-engine aircraft made a forced landing on a road in the Paris suburb of Villejuif after the pilot reported a technical malfunction. Despite the absence of serious consequences, the BEA launched an investigation, highlighting that oversight extends to general aviation as well.
On January 3, 2024, a British Airways flight from London to Gibraltar was diverted to Nantes after a smell of smoke was detected in the cabin. The Airbus A320 landed safely, and passengers were provided with accommodation and onward transport. The airline reiterated that safety takes precedence over schedule adherence.
In May, a Hop! Embraer ERJ-170 operating a Paris–Toulouse route received an alert indicating a malfunction of the left landing gear strut. After a go-around, the aircraft landed successfully. The BEA classified the event as a serious incident and opened an investigation.
2025: depressurisation and unruly passengers
On January 3, 2025, an Air France flight from Paris to Barcelona experienced a cabin depressurisation issue. Oxygen masks were automatically deployed, prompting the crew to return to the departure airport. The aircraft was grounded until a technical inspection was completed, with the airline noting that such returns are standard precautionary measures.
In August, another Air France flight bound for Dakar turned back after a passenger assaulted the senior cabin crew member. The individual was handed over to police. In the same month, a Ryanair flight from London to Alicante diverted to Toulouse due to a group of aggressive passengers.
On September 18, a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Malaga made an emergency landing in Bordeaux following a sudden medical emergency involving a passenger. Around the same period, a Brussels Airlines aircraft also landed urgently in Toulouse for medical reasons, though the passenger could not be saved. On November 26, a Delta Air Lines flight from Paris to Minneapolis returned to its departure airport because of a flap malfunction, with passengers rebooked onto other flights.
European trends
Statistics show that unscheduled and emergency landings are largely a consequence of high traffic volumes combined with preventive safety standards. According to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), more than 7.7 million commercial flights were operated in European airspace in 2024. Only three fatal accidents were recorded, confirming an extremely low level of risk relative to traffic scale. Returns and diversions are treated as a routine component of early-warning safety systems.
Eurocontrol data for the previous year recorded more than 10 million flights, with average daily traffic during some weeks of summer 2025 exceeding 34,800 flights. This level approached pre-pandemic volumes and exceeded figures from the same period in 2024.
Pilot representatives told Reuters that crews receive clear and often redundant warnings well before a situation becomes critical, meaning decisions to return or divert are frequently taken with a wide safety margin. From a professional standpoint, such actions are considered normal practice.
Nevertheless, the number of incidents is rising too quickly to be dismissed as isolated cases. In autumn and winter 2025, European aviation also faced additional pressure from adverse weather conditions and a wave of airport strikes.
Analysts at International Investment note that European aviation is entering a period of heightened vulnerability. Traffic has nearly fully recovered, but infrastructure, staffing reserves, and operational resilience do not always match the increased load. Looking toward 2026, the industry’s key challenge will be finding a balance between traffic intensity and system stability. If growth continues without commensurate investment in personnel, air traffic management, and airport reserve capacity, the number of such incidents is likely to keep increasing.