(CNN) – This has been a heinous year for the aviation industry. Absolutely horrible, actually.
But in the dark, there were a few easier, crazier and even more hopeful moments that captured our imagination in the dark times. Here are the wildest.
1. A small airport in Alaska has become the busiest in the world
Alaska’s Anchorage International doesn’t have waterfalls and razzmatazz in Singapore Changi or the eight runways in Chicago O’Hare, but in April, this unpretentious little airport briefly became the busiest airport in the world.
It was reduced to a combination of global passenger traffic eliminated by the pandemic and the transport of medical supplies, contributing to an increase in freight traffic – which is the specialty of Anchorage area.
2. “Flights to nowhere” has become a thing
A flight to nowhere took off from Sydney, Australia and returned to Sydney. Tough passengers eager to board a plane embarked on the flight around the country, with views including Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef. Reported by CN Brun, Kim Brunhuber.
Those who want to travel were so hungry for the pleasure of hovering above ground in a pressurized tube that when Australian airline Qantas launched a seven-hour tour of sights such as Byron Bay and the Gold Coast , sold out in ten minutes.
In Taiwan, these “flights to nowhere” were also combined with quick meetings on board, such as the Fly! Love Is in the Air ”by EVA Air, while Thai Airways gave the trend a spiritual advantage with“ flying nowhere ”over some of Thailand’s Buddhist religious sites.
3. Naomi Campbell was Nostradamus in aviation
In the summer of 2019, people were watching in amazement when Naomi Campbell revealed her elaborate ritual of the plane that involved wearing disposable gloves, wiping surfaces with anti-bacterial wipes and wearing a face mask.
Next March, when the rest of us started boarding Campbell’s safety message, the British supermodel had to do better. She shared photos with herself at Los Angeles International Airport wearing a suit of glasses, goggles, a mask and gloves.
4. The longest flight in the world has become even longer
From quieter cabins to special wings, find out everything you need to know about the 19-hour flight from Singapore to NY.
The mixing and redirection caused by the pandemic threw a lot of surprise aeronautical records.
The reason: Singapore Airlines has changed US airports from Newark in New Jersey to JFK in New York, so that the new SQ24 SIN-JFK route is now 9,536.5 miles – 2.5 miles longer than before.
5. A 64-year-old man accidentally jumped from a fighter jet
The terrifying journey was arranged for the unnamed man as a retirement gift.
Office of Civil Aviation Safety Investigation and Analysis
A surprise exit to an air base caused a 64-year-old Frenchman to be so stressed that he jumped from a fighter jet into the air, grabbed the ejector button in a panic and fell through the sky above France. to land on a field.
Although the unnamed man never expressed a desire to fly in a fighter jet and had no previous experience in military aviation, his company employees still thought it would be a great idea to treat him to a game. .
Fortunately, the man avoided serious injury after parachuting 2,500 feet on the ground below.
6. Passenger planes have become cargo planes
The pandemic has triggered an air trend known as “pre-air” flights – a “passenger” and “cargo” portmanteau – in which airlines modernize their passenger cabins to hold packages instead of passengers.
Portuguese charter operator Hi Fly removed most of the seats from its single A380 to make room for more cargo, making it the world’s first A380 to be converted for freight.
7. An airplane took off without a pilot in command
Are we one step closer to unmanned commercial aircraft?
Kindness Airbus
According to Airbus, the A350-1000 performed eight automatic takeoffs over a period of four and a half hours, with two pilots in standby.
8. An airplane took off without aircraft fuel
ECaravan is the result of a collaboration between the engine company magnaX and the aerospace company AeroTEC.
magniX
The largest fully electric aircraft in the world made its first flight in May, marking a new stage in fully electric technology. The nine-passenger eCaravan made a 30-minute trip over Moses Lake, Washington.
Then, in September, Airbus unveiled ZEROe, its trio of zero-emission concept aircraft. The European manufacturer says it intends to launch a zero-emission passenger aircraft by 2035.
9. Berlin’s “cursed” airport has finally opened
Besieged for almost a decade of countermeasures, complaints and inefficiencies Willenburg Brandy Berlin Brandenburg Airport has finally opened its doors.
Nearly a decade ago, with 4 billion euros (almost 5 billion dollars) over the budget and the middle of the pandemic, the new besieged airport in Berlin finally opened its doors at the end of October.
It has been reported that Willy Brandt Airport in Berlin-Brandenburg (BER) has already received 300 million euros in state aid before transporting a single passenger.
10. There were still many new funny-looking planes
The whale-shaped Airbus Beluga XL, one of the largest beasts in the sky, entered full-time service in January.
A mysterious bullet-shaped plane first spotted three years ago at Southern California Logistics Airport was unveiled in August to be the Celera 500L, a private six-person ship that promises to fly at jet speed, but with eight times lower fuel consumption.
CNN Travel’s story about the futuristic Flying-V plane caught the attention of US presidential candidate Kanye West in October.
And finally, the Caspian Sea Monster – a colossal Soviet-era land vehicle, somewhere between a hovercraft and a plane – was transported along the Russian coast to the city of Derbent, after 30 years of hibernation.
11. There were still many very fast planes
The XB-1 is the first independently developed supersonic aircraft.
Boom Supersonic
In February, British Airways broke the record for the fastest subsonic flight from New York to London, reaching a top speed of over 800 mph (1,287 km / h).
In September, we received the news that there could be an Air Force One supersonic air prototype as early as 2025, with the US Air Force busy awarding development contracts.
Exosonic’s California start-up is working on a low-boom Mach 1.8 supersonic twinjet, while Atlanta-based Hermeus Corporation is working on a 20-seat hypersonic that promises to deliver passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes
Denver startup Boom, one of the strongest companies currently working in supersonic aviation, unveiled its XB1 demonstration aircraft in October. The XB-1 is the first independently developed supersonic aircraft.
12. The takeoffs were easy, but the touchdowns became more difficult
Boeing, Boeing but not gone.
VINCENT JANNINK / ANP / AFP through Getty Images
A month later, the low-cost German carrier Eurowings became a little too eager when it resumed services from Düsseldorf to Sardinia, Italy – but had to return to its destination because the airport was still closed.
Then, six Lufthansa 747s flew to a Dutch airport in the summer, but then were blocked until Halloween due to a safety certificate issued. Larger planes were allowed to land at Twente Airport – but not take off.
Likewise, when we all caught on at the beginning of 2020, few anticipated the rugged ride and how far we would land from the year we were hoping for.
The journey is far from over and we can expect much more turbulence. But there, on the horizon, are still clearer skies.
Benjamin Berteau, Julia Buckley, Brekke Fletcher, Tamara Hardingham-Gill, Jack Guy, Rob Picheta, Rory Sullivan, Hollie Silverman, Francesca Street, Ya Chun Wang and Amy Woodyatt of CNN contributed to this report.
