The Year 2018 In Commercial Aviation
2018 has been a crazy year overall: both for me, and for the commercial aviation industry. There were some amazing things that happened this year, such as the launch of the A330neo, 787-10, and Boeing 737 MAX 9, the increasing amount of deliveries of the A350 and 787, and for me, the launch of Air Travel Analysis! However, 2018 has also been a disastrous year in terms of commercial aviation, as there have been more crashes and more airline fatalities than we’ve seen in many years; and that coming out of the safest recent year in commercial aviation in 2017. Continue reading to see a recap of some of the most exciting and some of the most devastating things that happened in 2018.
A Horrendous Safety Record:
2018 was a relatively bad year for commercial aviation safety. There have been multiple significant fatal crashes throughout the year. This year, we’ve had multiple pilot and training mistakes resulting in the US-Bangla Air Crash and the Air Niugini Crash. We also had the disastrous Southwest Airlines 737 engine failure and the terrifying Alaska Air Q400 piloted by a rogue ramp worker. These events have been due to both bad luck and just carelessness.
However, the most deadly crash of them all was the Lion Air crash just a few months ago. The brand new Boeing 737 MAX had issues with its Manoeuvering Characteristics Augmentation System and the pilots were not aware of how the anti-stall technology system worked on the plane, resulting in the plane crashing into the sea.
However, despite the crashes, I would still say that commercial aviation is safe. The truth is that we will always have accidents and incidents in commercial aviation, as we have accidents and incidents with cars, trucks, and most everyday activities that we perform. We got lucky in 2017 with having a particularly safe year, but the crashes this year remind us that we must be more careful with everything, especially in aviation.
The crashes are tragic, and I sympathize with the people mourning the loss of loved ones and family lost in these crashes. We must learn from the mistakes made and move forward so we will not make the same mistakes again in
| Flight Number | Type of Aircraft | Date | # Of Fatalities | Type of Incident |
| Saratov Airlines Flight 703 | Antanov An-148 | February 11 | 71/71 | Rapid Altitude Loss |
| Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 3704 | ATR 72 | February 18 | 66/66 | Crashed Into Mountain |
| US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211 | Bombardier Q400 | March 12 | 52/71 | Aircraft overran the runway |
| Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 | Boeing 737-700 | April 17 | 1/149 | Engine Failure |
| Cubana Flight 972 | Boeing 737-200 | May 18 | 112/113 | Aircraft Stall |
| Alaska/Horizon Air Rogue Flight | Bombardier Q400 | August 10 | 1/1 | Aircraft Stolen/Pilot Suicide |
| Air Niugini Flight 73 | Boeing 737-800 | September 28 | 1/46 | Aircraft overran the runway |
| Lion Air Flight 610 | Boeing 737 MAX 8 | October 28 | 189/189 | Mechanical/Pilot Error |
| Fly Jamaica Airways Flight 256 | Boeing 757-200 | November 9 | 1/146 | Hydraulic Failure |
New Aircraft:
Now the good news: 2018 has brought multiple new aircraft out of the assembly line and into commercial service. Specifically, the Airbus A321LR, Airbus A330-900neo, Airbus A350-1000, Boeing 737 MAX 8, Boeing 787-10, and the Embraer E190 E2 have all come into scheduled commercial service this year. Listed below are the aircraft that came into service this year, their launch customers, and where they fly to.
- Airbus A321LR: This year, Airbus introduced their long-range version of the Airbus A321neo, the A321LR. The aircraft has a range of around 4,000 nautical miles and therefore can fly on medium range routes such as transatlantic flights. It is intended as a direct replacement for the Boeing 757-200 transatlantic flights. Primera Air was the originally intended launch customer of the aircraft, although they went insolvent before they could take delivery of it. Israel’s Arkia recently took delivery of their first A321LRs, which they now fly to Europe. Next year, both TAP Portugal and Aer Lingus will take delivery of the aircraft, and will fly them on both intra-Europe and transatlantic routes.
- Airbus A330neo: The Airbus A330neo is intended to be a replacement to the Airbus A330-200/300, and was launched this year with TAP Portugal, which now flies them from Lisbon to Sao Paulo and will launch flights to the US with them next year. There are two variants of the aircraft: the A330-800 and the A330-900. The Airbus A330-900 has had multiple airlines orders, most notably Delta, which has 25 of them on order. However, the shorter version of the model, the Airbus A330-800 which is to replace the A330-200 only has one customer so far: Kuwait Airways; they have eight on order.
- Airbus A350-1000: The Airbus A350-1000 officially entered commercial service this year on February 28 with Qatar Airways. The Aircraft is a long-haul widebody jet that is longer than the Airbus A350-900 which has been in service since 2015. Qatar Airways currently has around 6 of them delivered and flies them to Singapore, New York-JFK, London, and Tokyo Haneda. In addition, Cathay Pacific has around eight of them delivered and flies them to Amsterdam, Manila, Singapore, Madrid, Taipei, Manchester, and San Francisco.
- Boeing 737 MAX 9: In 2017, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was introduced. The complete Boeing 737 MAX family will consist of (smallest to largest) the Boeing 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 9, and the 737 MAX 10. This year, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 was introduced as a direct replacement to the Boeing 737-900. Thai Lion Air was the initial launch customer of the MAX 9. Additionally, United Airlines has taken delivery of a handful of them and flies them on numerous domestic routes.
- Boeing 787-10: In April of 2018, Singapore Airlines became the first operator of the Boeing 787-10, the largest version of the 787 and a stretched version of the 787-9. Singapore Airlines has the most of them (49) on order and currently flies them on medium range routes throughout Asia. The 787-10 actually has the shortest range of all of the 787 models. Both Etihad and United have also taken delivery of the aircraft. United is the only North American customer of the aircraft and ordered 14 of the aircraft; they intend to base them at Newark Airport and fly them on transatlantic routes.
- Embraer E190-E2: Brazilian regional jet manufacturer Embraer introduced the successor to the Embraer E-Jet series this year. The series includes the E175-E2, the E190-E2, and the E195-E2 jets. There have only been three deliveries so far, all which
have gone to Norwegian regional carrier Wideroe, which flies them on their longer routes throughout Europe. The largest orderer of the aircraft is SkyWest, which has ordered 100 of them, which it will most likely eventually lease out to a combination of American, Delta, and United.
New Airports (And Airport Terminals):
2018 also featured the opening of a few new airports and terminals at already existing airports. There weren’t many new terminal openings in the United States, although a handful of them opened around the world this year. See below for a list of airports or airport terminals that opened this year.
- Seoul Incheon Airport Terminal 2: On January 18, 2018, just in time for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Terminal 2 at Seoul Incheon Airport opened. The terminal is located at the northern side of the airport and is primarily used by Korean Air, along with its other SkyTeam partners such as Delta Air Lines or KLM. You can read about the terminal in this review of Korean Air’s 787 business class from Seoul to Hong Kong.
- Istanbul Airport: Formerly known as Istanbul New Airport, the new airport serving Istanbul is located quite a ways northwest of the city. While the airport isn’t fully open yet, it did partially open in October for select Turkish Airlines flights to cities within Turkey such as Ankara or Antalya and also to Baku, Azerbaijan. Additionally, Turkish Airlines cargo services are now located at the new airport. All flights from Istanbul Ataturk Airport will be transferred to the new airport sometime next year and will be followed by the closing of Ataturk. Once fully complete in 2028, the airport will be the largest in the world, and will be able to handle around 200 million passengers per year!
- Muscat Airport New Terminal: On March 20, 2018, all flights from Muscat’s old terminal were transferred over to the new midfield terminal (now named Terminal 1). The new terminal replaced the old and quite dated terminal located at the south of the airport, which only had remote bus gates. The new terminal is extremely modern and will allow Oman Air to compete more with Qatar Airways and Emirates due to having a new terminal. However, the new terminal was supposed to open several years ago, so this opening comes after many delays.
- LaGuardia and O’Hare – New Terminals: Both Chicago O’Hare Airport and New York LaGuardia Airport opened new concourses this year. Chicago opened up a new northeastern extension to Concourse L. The new concourse is used by American Airlines regional jets. New York LaGuardia also recently opened up the first concourse of their multi-year masterplan which includes completely remaking every terminal at the airport. In November, the new Concourse B opened at LaGuardia Airport with new and modern gates. The new terminal currently serves Air Canada, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines.
Next year, Beijing will open their new Daxing airport, Abu Dhabi’s new terminal will open, and New Orleans will open their new airport concourses at the north side at the airport. Within the next few years (2020-2022), Frankfurt’s new Terminal 3 will open, the new International Terminal Satellite will open in Los Angeles, Washington Reagan Airport will open their new regional terminal, Santiago will open their new international terminal, Salt Lake City will undergo a complete airport renovation, and Singapore Changi Airport will open their Terminal 5.
Denser Economy, Better Business, and More Premium Economy:
Throughout the last decade, we have seen a massive transformation throughout aircraft cabins. On long-haul flights, airlines have been eliminating first class, making business class better and better, enhancing technology throughout all travel classes, and have been introducing premium economy. 15 years ago, on nearly all long-haul flights, aircraft would have 10-15 first class seats, while now, only a handful of long-haul flights have first class seats, and when they do, there are usually only 4-8 of them on a plane. Business class now is almost like what first class was 10 years ago if not more luxurious.
Also, airlines are introducing a new travel class: premium economy. Premium economy usually features recliner seats similar to what business class was 10 years ago. Airlines are coming full circle with travel classes, with business class being the new first class and premium economy being the new business class in terms of seat types. This circle will continue to evolve next year, with more airlines making business class better, eliminating first class, and creating a better premium economy.
Over 2018, many airlines have either introduced or announced new travel classes, primarily through bettering their business class. Additionally, airlines have made
See the list below for some of the most exciting announcements in terms of airline travel classes this year:
- United Airlines this year officially announced their new Premium Economy product, Premium Plus. The premium economy cabin features recliner seats in a 2-4-2 or 2-3-2 configuration with more legroom and with more service than in economy. In fact, I just flew on one of the few retrofitted planes last week and flew in the new Premium Plus seat; stay tuned for a review of that in the coming days.
- Gulf Air took delivery of their new 787s. These aircraft feature their new business product, featuring Apex Suites, which are some of the most private business class seats in the market. They currently fly their 787s on their flights to London, Casablanca, Manila, and Bangkok.
- Emirates introduced their new 777 first class this year. On only their 12 newest Boeing 777-300ERs, Emirates features closed suites with doors that go all the way up to the ceiling in a 1-1-1 configuration. The seats are extremely spacious, have virtual windows in the middle seat, and are without a doubt one of the best first class seats in the world. You can find the seats on multiple flights to Europe.
- More Business Class Closed Suites: Well known carriers with closed suites in business class include JetBlue, Qatar Airways, and Delta Air Lines. However, two
Chinease airlines also recently introduced closed suites in business class. China Eastern’s Airbus A350-900s all come fitted with seats with doors that can close similar to Delta’s A350 business class. Additionally, their subsidiary Shanghai Airlines also received their first 787s with such seats. - Air Tanzania received their first 787, which was their first non-Bombardier Q Series aircraft they received, which they plan to fly to India.
- Biman Bangladesh also received their first 787, which is their first long-haul aircraft to feature fully flat bed seats, and which they plan to fly on medium haul routes.
- Westjet announced that they would receive 787-9s next year that will feature fully flat bed business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and will fly them to Europe. This comes as no surprise as they are in a way transforming to become a full-service carrier.
- Copa Airlines took delivery of their first 737 MAX aircraft which features fully flat bed seats in business class seats in a 2-2 configuration.
- LATAM Airlines announced that they would be introducing a new business class product, which has all aisle access at every seat and uses the Thompson Vantage XL seat.
- Lufthansa also announced that they would introduce a new business class seat on the Boeing 777X. The seat would have all aisle access and will be in an alternating 1-2-1 and 1-1-1 configuration, and is a big improvement over their current business class seat. The bad news is that the seat won’t be available until 2020.
Exciting Routes That Launched In 2018
- Singapore to Newark – Singapore Airlines – Airbus A350-900ULR
- London to Nashville – British Airways – Boeing 787-8
- Hong Kong to Washington Dulles – Cathay Pacific – Airbus A350-900
- Nonstop Flights from Manila to New York JFK – Philippines Airlines – Airbus A350-900
- Perth to London Heathrow – Qantas – Boeing 787-9
- Budapest to Chicago O’Hare and New York JFK – LOT Polish Airlines – Boeing 767-300/Boeing 787-8
- Hong Kong Airlines began service from Hong Kong to both Los Angeles and San Francisco – Airbus A350-900
- Air Italy began service from Milan to Miami and New York JFK – Airbus A330-200
- Nairobi to New York JFK – Kenya Airways – Boeing 787-8
- Chicago to Auckland – Air New Zealand – Boeing 787-9
- Houston to Sydney – United Airlines – Boeing 787-9
- Chicago to Venice – American Airlines – Boeing 787-8
Conclusion:
2018 was a year that we can be partially satisfied
What was your favorite thing that happened in commercial aviation in 2018? What are you looking forward to next year?
