(CNN) – This was a horrifying year for the aviation industry. Absolutely awful actually.
But among the gloom, there were some lighter, crazier, even hopeful moments that captured our imaginations during the dark times. Here are the wildest.
1. A small airport in Alaska became the busiest in the world
Alaska’s Anchorage International lacks the waterfalls and razzmatazz of Singapore Changi or the eight runways of Chicago O’Hare, but in April this humble little airport became the busiest airport in the world for a while.
It was due to a combination of global passenger traffic wiped out by the pandemic and transporting medical supplies that contributed to an increase in freight traffic – which is Anchorage’s specialty Surface.
2. Flights to nowhere became a thing
A flight to nowhere took off from Sydney, Australia, and returned to Sydney. Die-hard travelers eager to get on a plane boarded the flight that orbited across the country, with views of Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef, among others. CNN’s Kim Brunhuber reports.
Potential travelers were so starved by the fun of whizzing above ground in a pressurized tube that when Australian airline Qantas launched a seven-hour sightseeing tour of landmarks such as Byron Bay and the Gold Coast, it sold out in ten minutes.
In Taiwan, these ‘flights to nowhere’ were also combined with speed dating on board, such as the ‘Fly! EVA Air’s Love Is in the Air campaign, while Thai Airways gave the trend a spiritual edge with a ‘flight to nowhere’. about some of the Buddhist religious sites in Thailand.
3. Naomi Campbell was the Nostradamus of aviation
In the summer of 2019, the world watched in amazement as Naomi Campbell unveiled her elaborate airplane ritual, which involved wearing disposable gloves, wiping surfaces with antibacterial wipes, and wearing a face mask.
In March, when the rest of us started getting on board with Campbell’s stay-safe message, the British supermodel had to take it one step further. She shared photos of herself at the Los Angeles International Airport wearing a hazmat suit, goggles, a mask and gloves.
4. The longest flight in the world got even longer
Find out everything you need to know about the 19-hour flight from Singapore to New York, from quieter cabins to special wings.
The shuffling and rerouting caused by the pandemic set many surprising aviation records.
The reason: Singapore Airlines switched US airports, from Newark in New Jersey to JFK in New York City, so the new SQ24 SIN-JFK route now checks in at 9,536.5 miles – 2.5 miles longer than before.
5. A 64-year-old man accidentally shot himself from a jet fighter
The terrifying journey had been arranged as a retirement gift for the unnamed man.
Research and analysis office for civil aviation safety
A surprise trip to an air base caused so much stress to a 64-year-old Frenchman that he threw himself out of a jet fighter, grabbed the eject button in a panic, and tumbled through the air over France before landing in a field.
While the unnamed man had never expressed a desire to fly a jet and had no previous military aviation experience, his firm’s employees still thought it would be a good idea to treat him to a joyride.
Fortunately, the man avoided serious injury after parachuting 2,500 feet down to land.
6. Passenger planes became cargo planes
The pandemic sparked an aviation trend known as “preighter” flights – a merger of “passengers” and “freighter” – with airlines converting their passenger cabins to hold packages instead of passengers.
Portuguese charter company Hi Fly removed most of its seats from its only A380 to make way for more cargo, making it the world’s first A380 to be converted for cargo.
7. An aircraft took off without a pilot in charge
Are we one step closer to pilotless commercial jets?
Credit to Airbus
According to Airbus, the A350-1000 achieved eight automatic take-offs over four and a half hours, with two pilots on standby.
8. An airplane took off without jet fuel
The eCaravan is the result of a collaboration between motor company magniX and aviation company AeroTEC.
magniX
The world’s largest fully electric aircraft made its maiden flight in May, marking a new milestone in all-electric technology. The nine-passenger eCaravan plane 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 wants to market an emission-free passenger aircraft by 2035.
9. The ‘cursed’ Berlin airport has finally opened
Burdened by nearly a decade of setbacks, complaints and inefficiencies, Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt has finally opened its doors.
Nearly a decade behind schedule, $ 4 billion (nearly $ 5 billion) over budget and mid-pandemic, Berlin’s beleaguered new airport finally opened its doors in late October.
Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport (BER) is said to have already received EUR 300 million in state aid before a single passenger was transported.
10. There were many funny looking new 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 at Southern California Logistics Airport three years ago was unveiled in August as the Celera 500L, a six-person private ship that promises to fly at jet speeds but with eight times better fuel economy.
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 ground vehicle, somewhere between a hovercraft and an airplane – was hibernated along the Russian coast to the city of Derbent after 30 years.
11. There were still a lot of very fast planes
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, with a top speed of over 1,287 km / h.
In September, we got the news that there could be a supersonic prototype Air Force One aircraft as early as 2025, while the U.S. Air Force was busy awarding development contracts.
California start-up Exosonic is working on a supersonic Mach 1.8 twinjet with a low boom, while Atlanta-based Hermeus Corporation is working on a hypersonic 20-seater that promises to take passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes.
Denver-based start-up Boom, one of the hottest companies currently active in supersonic aviation, unveiled its XB1 demonstration aircraft in October. The XB-1 is the first independently developed supersonic aircraft.
12. The starts were easy, but the touchdowns got tough
Boeing, Boeing but don’t leave.
VINCENT JANNINK / ANP / AFP via Getty Images
A month later, the German low-cost airline Eurowings got a little too eager when it resumed flights from Düsseldorf to Sardinia, Italy, but had to turn around at its destination as the airport was still closed.
Then six Lufthansa 747s flew to a Dutch airport in the summer, but were stranded until Halloween due to a security certificate being issued. Larger aircraft were allowed to land at Twente Airport, but were not allowed to take off.
Likewise, when we all grabbed on to the start of 2020, few expected the bumpy ride ahead and how far we would land from the year we hoped for.
The journey is far from over and we can expect a lot more turbulence. But beyond on the horizon, there are still brighter skies ahead.
CNN’s 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 contributed to this report.
