Diversion
General
A diversion is a situation where the pilot decides to land the aircraft at a different aerodrome than originally planned.
Diversions can be divided into three broad groups:
- Air turnbacks: These are situations where the aircraft returns to the departure aerodrome.
- En-route diversions: These are situations where the aircraft diverts to an alternate before reaching the vicinity of the planned destination aerodrome.
- Destination diversions: These are situations where the aircraft diverts to an alternate after reaching the vicinity of the planned aerodrome.
Reasons for Diversions
Diversions can happen for many reasons, e.g.:
- Adverse weather (e.g. due to thunderstorms or significant crossing)
- Aerodrome closure (e.g. due to the flight missing night curfew regulations)
- Emergency or abnormal situation at the destination (e.g. due to runway closure due to an aircraft accident)
- Emergency or abnormal situation on board (e.g. due to insufficient fuel, system failure or medical issues)