As the year comes to a close, we look back on what we followed through the sky this year. From celebrations to challenges and goodbyes to some impressive sky drawing, here are 17 things that flew—or didn’t—in 2017.
1. Flight 666 to HEL on Friday the 13th
On 13 January, Finnair flight 666 departed for HEL during the 13th hour on Friday the 13th in a 13 year old plane. Sadly, the airline has since retired the flight number.
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2. The longest flight in the world
After Emirates held the title for a few months with its Auckland-Dubai flight, Qatar Airways inaugurated the world’s longest flight from Auckland to Doha in February.
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3. Swiss repairs a broken engine like clockwork
After one of their 777s experienced an issue with one of its engines on 1 February and needed to divert to Iqaluit in northern Canada, Swiss set to work getting the passengers to their destination and the aircraft back in the air. The effort involved an A330, an An-124 with a new engine, and a giant tent.
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4. The 737 MAX signs its name
As part of a test flight in February, Boeing sent its 737 MAX over the northwest United States to sign its name.
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5. The Airbus A320 celebrates 30 years of flight
On 22 February, the Airbus A320 celebrated its 30th anniversary in the air. Here’s what a day in the life of the A320 family looks like.
A day in the life of the @Airbus #A320 family—celebrating 30 years of flight today.
Follow the A320 family at https://t.co/A4mWRJu9Vi pic.twitter.com/ATpNgAluqz
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 22, 2017
6. The 787-10 takes flight
The longest version of the 787, the 787-10 took flight for the first time on 31 March. The aircraft is set to enter service in 2018.
Weren’t able to track the @BoeingAirplanes 787-10 first flight live? No problem, here’s playback. Data at https://t.co/Kyhf6P0EdD #78710FF pic.twitter.com/jABNVBGXhH
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 31, 2017
7. The Boeing 737 celebrates 50 years of flight
On 9 April 1967, the first Boeing 737 took flight. On the 50th anniversary of that flight we tracked 26,000 737 flights. See them all below.
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8. Restrictions on Qatari flights
At the beginning of June, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt placed restrictions on Qatar-registered aircraft arriving, departing, or transiting their airspace. These restrictions have forced Qatar Airways to reroute many flights.
Qatar Airways traffic 24 hours before and 24 hours after the flight ban. More on how the ban is affecting flights at https://t.co/lXphkQfLja pic.twitter.com/o9rix5JLlW
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) June 8, 2017
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9. Boeing did this
How does @BoeingAirplanes get ready for the Paris Air Show? Practice, of course. #PAS17
✈️✈️? https://t.co/BVxvwoDLXP pic.twitter.com/E3a77K1nc1
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) June 19, 2017
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10. COMAC C919 first flight
On 5 May, the COMAC C919, the first domestically designed and produced Chinese large passenger jet took flight for the first time. The aircraft completed a 1 hour 18 minute flight that, in a first for any manufacturer, included a publicly available live video feed from the flight deck.
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11. Constructions fumes
Construction fumes in the Washington ARTCC caused an evacuation of air traffic controllers. Flights in the airspace were dramatically reduced for a time while the facility was vented and controllers were allowed to return.
Airspace clearing (2200-0100 UTC) following the evacuation of Washington ARTCC.
Live flights: https://t.co/cjH7MbkPNK pic.twitter.com/R0rCirKMR2
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) July 11, 2017
12. Open Skies
In August, CNN noted the presence of a Russian Air Force jet above Washington D.C. conducting low level flight and news quickly spread. The flight, however, was just a routine flight as part of the Treaty on Open Skies, of which Russia and the United States are signatories.
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13. Delta goes big, then goes home
In the face of a category 5 hurricane, Delta Air Lines meteorologists, dispatchers, pilots, cabin crew, and ground crew accomplished an incredible feat.. As Hurricane Irma bore down on San Juan, Puerto Rico, Delta sent one last flight to help evacuate a few hundred people from San Juan just before the airport closed.
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14. Air France A380 engine failure
On 30 September, Air France flight 66 en route from Paris to Los Angeles suffered an engine failure over Greenland, leading to a safe diversion to Goose Bay in Canada. The aircraft remained on the ground until it was repaired enough to fly back to Paris where it continues to undergo maintenance.
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15. Air Berlin’s final flight
On 27 October, Air Berlin conducted its final flight. As a special send off to the airline, the final flight used the callsign BER4EVR.
16. Final United Airlines 747 flight
On 7 November, after 47 years of continuous service, United Airlines conducted its final 747 revenue flight. The flight, from San Francisco to Honolulu, departed with special photo pass over the Golden Gate Bridge and arriving in Honolulu to a welcoming giant lei.
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17. Flights resume transiting Iraqi airspace
After a 3 year halt, international flights resumed transiting Iraqi airspace in November. In 2014, security concerns prompted much of the traffic between the Gulf states and Europe and North America to begin transiting Iran. United Arab Emirates-based airlines were the first to resume the slightly shorter routing through Iraq and other airlines are following suit.
What did we miss?
Year end lists are highly subjective, so tell us what we should have added to our list. Tweet us at Flightradar24 or leave a comment on our Facebook page. Happy new year! Wishing everyone a great 2018.
