2025 Aviation Year Review
- Av Geek Blog
- Dec 29, 2025
- 5 min read
A lot has happened in aviation in 2025. From multiple aircraft crashes and other incidents, including the first hull loss of a Boeing 787 to large aircraft orders, the Paris Air Show, and even a hijacking, 2025 has clearly been a big year in aviation. In this 2025 aviation review blog post, I will take a look at some of the key events which have happened in 2025. This is not an exhaustive list, but contains some key aviation events.
January
On 29th January, Boom Technology's XB-1 demonstrator successfully went supersonic, achieving a speed of Mach 1.1.
On 29th January a bombardier CRJ700 operating American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a US Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River. All 64 people on the CRJ700 and all 3 on the helicopter were killed.
Check out our blog post on this crash here: https://www.avgeekblog.co.uk/post/dca-american-airlines-and-us-army-helicopter-collision
On 31st January, a Learjet 55 operating as Med jets flight 056 crashed in Philadelphia shortly after takeoff, killing 8 people. The crash caused an explosion which set multiple homes on fire. All 6 people on the aircraft were killed and one person on the ground. At least 23 people were injured, one of whom later succumbed to their injuries.
February
On 3rd February, ITA Airways began the process of integrating into the Lufthansa group and left the SkyTeam Alliance, joining Star Alliance, which the Lufthansa group is part of.
Check out our blog posts on the SkyTeam and Star Alliance blog posts here:
On 17th February, a Bombardier CRJ900 operating as Delta Connection flight 4819 crashed and overturned on landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. All 80 occupants on board survived the accident with 21 injured.
March
On 20th March, An electrical substation near Heathrow Airport caught fire and led to a 16 hour closure of the airport, disrupting global travel.
April
On 10th April, a Bell 206 helicopter experienced an in-flight breakup and crashed into the Hudson River. The pilot and a family of 5 passengers were killed.
On 17th April, a Cessna 208 operated by Tropic Air was hijacked during a domestic flight in Belize. Two passengers and a pilot were stabbed by the hijacker, who was shot dead by one of the injured passengers.
On 28th April, hundreds of flights were delayed and cancelled after a power outage occurred. Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Barcelona and Madrid were some of the major airports affected.
May
On 14th May, Qatar Airways signed a $96 billion order for 150 Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 30 Boeing 777X aircraft with options for a further 50 aircraft. This was reportedly Boeing's largest ever widebody order.
On 15th May, Global Airlines conducted its inaugural flight from Glasgow to New York with its A380. The airline plans to operate an all A380 fleet.
June
On 11th June, Silver Airways ceased operations after 14 years of operation due to financial difficulties.
On 12th June, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, India on its way to London Gatwick. All except one of the 242 people on board were killed as well as 29 people on the ground. This was the 787's first fatal accident and its first hull loss. It was the deadliest aviation accident in 2025.
Check out our blog post on the crash here: https://www.avgeekblog.co.uk/post/air-india-crash
From the 16th - 22nd June, the 2025 Paris Air Show was held at Le Bourget, France. Many aircraft orders were placed with Airbus receiving orders totaling over $20 billion.
Check out our blog post about the 2025 Paris Air Show here: https://www.avgeekblog.co.uk/post/paris-air-show-2025
On the 22nd June, the United States Air Force and Navy attacked 3 nuclear facilities in Iran. The facilities were targeted with 14 30,000 pound 'bunker buster' bombs carried by B-2 stealth bombers. Tomahawk missiles were also fired from a submarine. It was reported that F-22 and F-35 fighter jets also entered Iranian airspace.
On 23rd June, as a result of the US's missile strikes on Iran as well as the subsequent Iranian retaliation, several North American, European and Asian airlines suspended flights to the Middle East. Qatar and the UAE also closed their airspace due to the threat from missiles.
On 30th June, Oman Air joined the oneworld alliance.
You can read our blog post about Oman Air joining oneworld and about the oneworld alliance here:
July
On 14th July, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi announced that it would end operations on 1st September citing the geopolitical situation, regulatory challenges and strong competition.
From the 18th - 20th July the Royal International Air Tattoo was held at RAF Fairford in the UK.
From the 21st - 27th July, the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh was held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
On 31st July, budget airline, Jetstar Asia ceased operations due to rising operating costs and a strategic restructure.
September
On 21st September, a cyberattack caused delays at multiple European airports including London Heathrow.
On 22nd September, drone sightings lose to multiple airports in Copenhagen and Oslo resulted in the airports being closed for several hours, causing flight disruptions.
On 29th September, Icelandic low cost carrier, Play, ceased operations due to financial difficulties.
October
On 20th October, Emirates Skycargo flight 9788 operated by a Boeing 747-400F skidded off the runway while landing at Hong Kong International Airport. The aircraft struck a ground vehicle and crashed into the sea. Two people in the vehicle died but the 4 occupants of the 747 survived.
On 29th October, the last flight using the Hawaiian Airlines callsign took place after the carrier merged with Alaska Airlines.
November
On 4th November, a UPS Airlines MD-11 operating UPS Airlines flight 2976, crashed after takeoff from Louisville after the left engine separated from the wing during takeoff.
On 11th November, a C-130 Hercules operated by the Turkish Air Force crashed near the Azerbaijan - Georgia border. All 20 people on board were killed.
On 28th November, flights worldwide were disrupted after 6000 A320 family aircraft, about half of the global fleet, were grounded to resolve an issue where solar radiation could interfere with flight computers. A software update resolved the issue within a couple of hours for most aircraft although 900 older aircraft could require a replacement computer.
December
On 1st December, HiFly became the first airline to land an A330 on Antarctica.
From 1st December IndiGo has experienced disruptions in its network that on still ongoing at the time of writing. These disruptions are due to new pilot fatigue rules being implemented in India. This disruption has resulted in over 2,000 flights being cancelled with the disruption set to last into the new year.
On 2nd December, a Samaritan's Purse Cessna 208 Caravan was hijacked by a man demanding to be flown to Chad. The hijacker was arrested and no injuries were reported.
On 9th December, the final Antonov An-22 military transport still in operational service crashed in Russia killing all 7 crew members on board.
Also on the 9th December, a Chinese court ordered Malaysia Airlines to pay over $400,000 to families of some passengers who were lost on flight MH370.
What events most surprised you during the year?
Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Want to know what is scheduled to happen in the aviation industry in 2026? Check out our upcoming January post for some things that could happen.
Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!
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Date Published: 29 December 2025
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