It’s safe to say that 2020 has been a year filled with more ups than downs, especially for the aviation world, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few lighter, crazier, and even hopeful moments that brought a smile to our faces.
Here are a few interesting moments that occurred in 2020.
The worlds longest flight
Breaking the record for the world’s longest flight doesn’t seem like a record that would be broken in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, but it did. Singapore Airlines managed to complete a gruelling 18-hour flight from Singapore to New York City’s JFK airport. The flight was initially meant to land at Newark, New Jersey, but was switched to JFK airport to beat the record, which now sits at 15,344km.
And they’re off! The relaunch of the world’s longest flight from Singapore to New York aboard the @SingaporeAir #A350ULR.
🇸🇬✈️🇺🇸 https://t.co/n9Yob4hDVQ pic.twitter.com/M8auDw5Lbp
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 11, 2018
Flights to nowhere increased in popularity
The idea of catching a flight to nowhere might sound like a waste of money, but this could not be further from the truth. Australian airline Qantas launched its flights to nowhere in September and managed to sell out in 10 minutes. The seven-hour flight took passengers on an aerial tour around the Australian landscape, including Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.
The idea ended up being so successful that Thai Airways also offered its own version of the flight to nowhere, taking visitors on a tour of the country’s many Buddhist religious sites.
“It’s probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history.”
Qantas’ seven-hour flight to nowhere sells out in 10 minutes. https://t.co/c7dUdUlfDZ pic.twitter.com/B6u4riNWPw
— CNN (@CNN) September 19, 2020
Passenger planes turned into cargo planes
The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to international travel. This left airlines with the problem of having stagnant airplanes parked at their airports collecting dust. To ensure aircraft’s remained in good condition, a number of airlines repurposed their airplanes from regular passenger planes into cargo planes. Hi Fly, a Portuguese charter operator, removed most of the seats from its A380 to make room for more cargo, making it the world’s first A380 to be converted from a passenger plane into a cargo plane, according to CNN.
Hi Fly now operates the world’s first cargo-optimized A380. See inside and how to track their A380.https://t.co/myMmC3ZMSS pic.twitter.com/2hyYXX6Vnm#aviation #AvGeek
— AirBuzZeD (@AirBuzZeD) July 10, 2020
An aircraft took-off by itself
The idea of an aircraft taking off by itself might seem like something out a sci-fi movie, but this actually happened in January. An A350-1000 managed to pull off the impossible when it successfully took off by itself at France’s Toulouse-Blagnac airport. According to Airbus, the aircraft was able to achieve a total of eight successful takeoffs over a period of four hours, with two pilots on standby to take over if anything went wrong.
An #Airbus A350-1000 test #aircraft has successfully demonstrated the first fully automatic vision-based take-off at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France. #Aerospace https://t.co/prnojCO0HP pic.twitter.com/QEf5Th0JOs
— Claro (@Claro_Precision) January 27, 2020
An airline was launched in the midst of a pandemic
Starting a new airline in the middle of a pandemic might not sound like that greatest idea at first, but fact is truer than fiction. The new, proudly South African airline, aptly named Lift was launched in December this year to much fanfare and is a great example of why you should never give up on your dreams, even when faced with a deadly pandemic. The airline was started by Gidon Novick, founder of Kulula.com, and Jonathan Ayache, who was head of operations for Uber in Sub Saharan Africa. Together the two worked tirelessly to launch Lift, which promises to be more funky, on time, and more of what travellers want from an airline.
@LiftAirlineSA‘s inaugural flight departed from Runway 19 at Cape Town International Airport today and landed at OR Tambo International Airport. The newest addition to South Africa’s skies is ushering in a new age for the aviation industry. https://t.co/dpVBxFvMbv
— Getaway Magazine (@GetawayMagazine) December 10, 2020
This year might not have turned out the way we planned but these stories prove that even in the darkest of times, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Here’s to a better 2021!
Picture Twitter/@AfricaAirlines
