2023 Aviation Year Review

2023 has been a big year for the aviation industry. 2023 saw two Air Shows and numerous big orders from different airlines for many different planes. However, the year was not without its challenges for many players in the sector. In this post, I look at some highlights from each month of 2023.

January

January 2023 was a busy start to the year:

On 15th January, Yeti Airlines flight 691 crashed while landing at Pokhara killing all on board. The aircraft was an ATR 72.

January also saw the last 747 freighter being delivered to Atlas Air. This marks the end of production for the 747 but many airlines still fly the aircraft so we can be hopeful that the aircraft will still fly for some time. Read the blog post on the 747 here: The Boeing 747 (geekofairlines.wixsite.com).

January also saw the collapse of Flybe 2.0 which is the second time that the airline has collapsed. At the time of writing, there appears little hope of the airline resuming operations. You can read our blog post on the collapse of Flybe here: The Rise and Fall of Flybe (geekofairlines.wixsite.com).

February

In February, a Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the United States after it had travelled over a large section of the U.S.

Air India placed a big order for 470 aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus.

March

March saw Virgin Atlantic join the SkyTeam alliance.

April

In April, fighting in Sudan saw numerous aircraft destroyed.

May

May saw the airline, Go First declaring bankruptcy.

Additionally, Ryanair placed an order for 150 aircraft with options for 150 more.

June

June saw the Paris Air Show happen in Paris, France.

You can check out our blog posts on the Paris Air Show using the links here:

Paris Air Show Day 1 (geekofairlines.wixsite.com)

Paris Air Show Day 2 (geekofairlines.wixsite.com)

Paris Air Show Day 3 (geekofairlines.wixsite.com)

July

In July, a Canadair aircraft crashed in Greece.

August

In August, UK air traffic service provider, NATS, had a technical issue resulting in lengthy delays for flights in the UK and many cancellations.

September

In September, a Ural Airlines aircraft made an emergency landing in a field. It is not known how the aircraft will be removed.

October

In October, an Alaska Airlines flight diverted after an off-duty pilot travelling as a passenger attempted to activate the engine fire extinguishers which would have shut down the engines.

November

The Dubai Air Show happened in November. You can check out our blog post on the Dubai Air Show here: Dubai Air Show: Overview (geekofairlines.wixsite.com)

Additionally, the first 787-9 landed in Antarctica. The flight was operated by Norse Atlantic Airways on behalf of the Norwegian Polar Institute carrying scientists and their equipment to Antarctica.

December

In December, Alaska Air Group announced a planned acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion.

2023 has been an exciting year in aviation. The events mentioned above are not the only things that happened this year in the aviation industry but are some key highlights. If you would like a more detailed blog post about any of the events, let me know by leaving a comment below or on our forum or by emailing us.