The 10 Stories That Dominated Aviation In 2022

What do you think was the biggest story of the year in 2022? Did we miss any?

In 2022, there were plenty of stories in the aviation industry. We had massive aircraft orders (United’s up to 200 Boeing 787 Dreamliner order comes to mind), Boeing produced and delivered the final 747, Airbus and Qatar Airways' legal case hit new levels, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had a direct impact on the aviation industry (plus the destroying of the Antonov An-225 Mriya) and plenty more. Let’s look at the top ten stories that dominated the aviation industry in 2022.

10/1010. Airbus and Qatar Airways’ legal case

Qatar Airways is suing Airbus over damage to the painted surface and underlying anti-lightning system of its A350 jets. Backed by Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), Qatar Airways has grounded 29 planes, citing a potential safety risk.

Both companies have been in a lengthy, highly controversial trial over this topic in 2022. Qatar Airways has said that the groundings have triggered penalty claims of USUSD 200,00 per aircraft per day, while Airbus says the groundings are invalid. Moreover, the controversy led Airbus to unilaterally cancel Qatar Airways’ orders for 50 A321neos and 19 A350s.

The trial is far from over. A UK court has recently split the paint case, which is set to begin in June 2022, and will now take longer than expected. Simple Flying has published a timeline of the events.

Read more: Emirates Shares Video Of "Airbus A380 Pulled By Reindeer"

9/109. Goodbye to the Queen of the Skies

It is the end of an era. In December 2022, Boeing rolled off the 1,574 and final Boeing 747 aircraft in its history. This plane, registered N863GT, will be delivered to Atlas Air, a freighter US company.

This aircraft has been confirmed to be delivered on February 2023, nearly 52 years since the first ‘Queen of the Skies’ was delivered to the now-defunct Pan Am in January 1970.

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According to data by ch-aviation, there are currently 362 active Boeing 747s worldwide, operated by 56 carriers. Throughout its 52-year history, 918 ‘Queen of the Skies’ have been scrapped or written off for various reasons. In October, a Boeing spokesperson said Simple Flying the following about the 747 program,

“The 747 is a transformational airplane that changed the way the world traveled, starting with the first airplane’s rollout in 1969. As the world’s first jumbo jet, the 747 laid the foundation for every twin-aisle commercial airplane that followed and sparked an enduring love for the ‘Queen of the Skies’ among airlines, crews, passengers, and ‘avgeeks’ around the world. The team that designed and built the 747 – still known as ‘the Incredibles’ – set a standard of excellence for more than 50 years. While production is ending, we’re looking forward to supporting 747 customers for decades to come.”

8/108. Boeing and Airbus got big orders in 2022

It was a good year for Boeing and Airbus. Up to November 2022, Boeing had delivered 411 aircraft, while its European counterpart had delivered 565 new planes. In the meantime, they had 1,747 gross orders jointly.

Airbus has received 1,062 gross orders in 2022, including 1,015 orders for narrowbody jets, nine for the Airbus A330, and 38 for the Airbus A350, according to data released by the company. Airbus’ largest order has come from China Eastern Airlines, requesting 100 aircraft (32 A320neo and 68 A321neo).

According to its website, Boeing received 685 grand orders this year up to November. This number will be heavily increased by the end of the year following United’s massive order for up to 200 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Delta Air Lines also signed a massive order with Boeing this year. The US carrier requested in July 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

7/107. China Eastern Flight 5735 and other accidents

Unfortunately, there were several aviation accidents in 2022. None was more tragic and with a higher death toll than China Eastern Airlines flight 5735. This accident took place on March 21, 2022. The flight was a domestic service between Kunming and Guangzhou, and it was operated onboard a Boeing 737-800 registration B-1791. There were 132 people onboard, and all of them perished in the crash. The official investigation is currently ongoing, although reports suggest that the nose dive may have been intentional. It was the third-deadliest air crash in China.

On April 7, a DHL Boeing 757-200 freighter touched down at San José International Airport (SJO), Costa Rica, and skidded on a collapsed left-landing gear. The accident was recorded on camera. The plane broke into two pieces and forced the closure of the airport for a few hours. Nonetheless, there were no casualties due to this accident.

Find the latest South American aviation news here.

On June 21, RED Air flight 203 between Santo Domingo and Miami had a gear collage and a subsequent fire after landing at runway 30 in the Miami International Airport. Shortly after the plane came to a stop, a fire erupted on the right wing. Fortunately, all 130 passengers and ten crew members successfully evacuated the plane, and only four passengers were reported to have sustained minor injuries.

Finally, on November 18, a LATAM Peru Airbus A320neo was taking off from Lima International Airport when it collided with a firetruck that was trying to cross the runway. The investigation is ongoing, and there’s still no certainty of who was at fault at the time of the accident. Nonetheless, two firefighters died, one remains injured, and LATAM’s plane was written off. There were no casualties onboard the aircraft. A few weeks earlier, LATAM also had a freaky incident while flying between Santiago de Chile and Asunción. The flight encountered extreme weather and was heavily damaged.

6/106. Boeing is moving away from Chicago

This year, Boeing confirmed it is moving its headquarters away from Chicago to Virginia, with fears that the company might downsize its presence in the city. This decision will move the company’s headquarters to Arlington, bringing Boeing’s corporate structure into the same campus which hosts its defense, security, and space program and also closer to the Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration.

“The region makes strategic sense for our global headquarters given its proximity to our customers and stakeholders and its access to world-class engineering and technical talent,” Boeing CEO David Calhoun said.

5/105. The Overture saga

This year has not been easy for Boom Supersonic, the company behind the possibly next supersonic passenger aircraft, Overture. Despite the company announcing an order from American Airlines (the US carrier has the intention to purchase up to 20 supersonic jets), the Overture program was highly criticized during the year.

Rolls-Royce quit the program, leaving Boom alone after two years, and looking to secure a new engine OEM to join the project. The British company famous for having powered the Concorde said, "after careful consideration, Rolls-Royce has determined that the commercial aviation supersonic market is not currently a priority for us.”

In December, Boom Supersonic found a new engine maker. The company plans to work with Florida Turbine Technologies, StandardAero, and GE Additive, a unit of GE Aerospace, to develop the engines it needs for the Overture. Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, commented on the partnership, saying,

“Developing a supersonic engine specifically for Overture offers by far the best value proposition for our customers. Through the Symphony program, we can provide our customers with an economically and environmentally sustainable supersonic airplane—a combination unattainable with the current constraints of derivative engines and industry norms.”

Currently, Boom wants to roll out the first Overture in 2026, with a view to beginning its test flight campaign in 2027.

4/104. JetBlue and Spirit’s merger saga

In February, Frontier announced its plans to buy Spirit in a deal valued at USUSD 2.9 billion. Frontier Airlines looked poised to acquire Spirit Airlines in an ultra-low-cost merger that would have rocked the US aviation industry. Nonetheless, JetBlue launched a more valuable offer that impacted Frontier's plans, alluring shareholders with an all-cash offer of USUSD 3.6 billion and, eventually, forcing Frontier’s management to call off the merger on July 27.

JetBlue and Spirit announced a USUSD 3.8 billion merger agreement a day later. This merged airline would be the fifth-largest in the US and could potentially challenge the dominance of the “Big Four” carriers in the United States.

The merger is currently waiting for the required regulatory approvals. Spirit and JetBlue expect to conclude the regulatory process and close the transaction no later than the first half of 2024.

3/103. China introduces the C919

On December 9, 2022, China’s Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or COMAC, delivered the world’s first C919 aircraft, registration B-919A. It was delivered to China Eastern Airlines, the Shanghai-based carrier which is now the launch customer of the type.

The C919 is a narrowbody jet configured to compete with the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320 families. This aircraft can seat between 158 and 192 passengers and has a range of 2,200 nautical miles. China Eastern Airlines' first jet has a164 seats in a two-class cabin configuration, including eight business class seats and 156 economy class ones. COMAC has received around 300 orders from carriers.

This month COMAC also celebrated a new milestone. The Chinese company delivered the first overseas ARJ21 to Indonesia’s TransNusa Airlines. This new regional aircraft can seat between 78 and 90 passengers and has a flying range of 1,200 and 2,000 nautical miles (2,200 to 3,700 kilometers).

2/102. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine's impact on civil aviation

In February, the Russian government launched a military invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The Ukrainian war has had a direct impact on the world economy, including the civil aviation industry. There have been many impacts due to this event.

First, Western governments and companies have mostly cut ties with Russia, with aviation manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing announcing they will move on from Russian products (this month, Airbus announced it will stop purchasing Russian titanium within months).

In March, the European Union, Canada, the United States, and some other countries closed their airspaces to Russian aircraft and airlines. Shortly after, Russia retaliated with the same measures, which has impacted the routes operated by certain airlines from both sides of this new Iron Curtain. Throughout the year, we have seen some exemptions, particularly for cargo aircraft flying from Russia to countries in the European Union.

Finally, Russia’s new isolation has led the country to forcefully push a new nationalization wave. This first started with Russia claiming many leased aircraft employed by local airlines in what can only be described as a robbery. Russia is now looking to produce the products it needs at home to have a civil aviation industry. It is still uncertain how this will impact the development of future planes such as the MC-21 and the SSJ-NEW, the newest variant of the Sukhoi Superjet 100.

1/101. The destruction of ‘the Dream’

It may have been only a plane, it may be rebuilt in the future, but the destruction of the Antonov An-225 Mriya in Ukraine by Russian forces was, by far, one of the most read stories this year. Mriya means ‘Dream’ in Ukrainian.

On February 27, during the battle of Antonov Airport near Kyiv, the Russian army destroyed the only Antonov An-225 ever to be completely built.

This plan was as iconic as it gets. It was the world’s largest aircraft, had six engines, it was the heaviest aircraft ever made with the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service. It had 124 records.

The Antonov An-225 Mriya was commonly used to transport cargo, and its last commercial mission was to collect almost 90 tons of COVID-19 test kits from Tianjin, China. After delivering to Billund in Denmark, it returned to its base at the Antonov Airport. It never left again.

It is uncertain if Ukraine will be able to rebuild the iconic aircraft. The restoration could cost over USUSD 3 billion and over five years.