This is a list of aviation-related events in 2018.
Orders and deliveries Up from 763 in 2017, Boeing delivered 806 commercial jets in 2018, including 580 737s and 145 787s; and won 893 net orders valued at $143.7 billion: 675 737s and 218 widebodies including 109 787s and 51 777s.
Airbus delivered 800 aircraft to 93 customers including 20 A220s (since July 2018), 626 A320s, 49 A330s, 93 A350XWBs and 12 A380s, 11% more than the 718 delivered in 2017; and received 747 net orders.
Events
January 3 January AeroVironment announces it will design and develop solar-powered high-altitude unmanned aircraft and ground control stations for a joint venture with Japanese telco SoftBank (95%) for $65 million. 4 January The first Airbus BelugaXL rolls off the assembly line, unpainted and without engines. 5 January The A321neo Cabin Flex rolls out before ground tests and first flight in the following weeks, it should be delivered in mid-2018 and the layout will become the A321neo default from 2020. 9 January Boeing announces it had won 912 net orders in 2017 for $134.8 billion at list prices including 745 737s, 94 787s and 60 777s, and delivered 763 airliners including 529 737s, 136 787s and 74 777s. 10 January Geophysical technology company Ocean Infinity confirms the Government of Malaysia accepted its proposal to search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and sends its vessel Seabed Constructor for 90 days, receiving a reward only if the wreckage is located. The Canadian government files a complaint at the World Trade Organization against the USA over the CSeries dumping petition by Boeing. China is set to order 184 Airbus A320 airliners, mainly for A320neo jets to be delivered to 13 airlines in 2019 and 2020, after French president Emmanuel Macron visited his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. 13 January Pegasus Airlines Flight 8622, a Boeing 737-800, landing in Trabzon Airport from Ankara, runs off the left side of the runway and partially down a cliff, injuring no passengers or crew. 15 January Airbus announces it received 1,109 net orders from 44 customers in 2017, and delivered 718 aircraft to 85 customers: 558 A320 Family (including 181 A320neo); 67 A330s; 78 A350 XWBs and 15 A380s. 18 January Airbus secures a preliminary agreement from Emirates for up to 36 A380s: 20 potentially firm orders and 16 options, to be delivered from 2020, valued at $16 billion at list prices. 19 January The Boeing 787-10 variant is approved by the FAA. 23 January Following the Air Berlin insolvency, Austrian carrier Niki is sold to Laudamotion, controlled by former Formula 1 champion Niki Lauda, while IAG had previously tentatively acquired its assets for €20 million ($24 million) at the end of 2017 before the proceedings were re-opened. 24 January The revised NAL Saras-PTN1 with 14 seats instead of 19 and improved systems first flew from HAL Airport for 40 minutes, reaching and before 20 flights to freeze the production design. 26 January In the CSeries dumping petition by Boeing, the USITC four commissioners unanimously determined the U.S. industry is not threatened and no duty orders will be issued. 31 January The Airbus A³ Vahana full-scale single passenger prototype makes its maiden flight self-piloted in Pendleton, Oregon, reaching 5 meters (16 feet) over 53 seconds.
February
1 February Amid surging global demand, UPS orders 14 Boeing 747-8F and four Boeing 767 freighters worth $7.3 billion at list prices. 5 February The smallest Boeing 737 MAX 7 is rolled-out in Renton, Washington, before flight testing in coming weeks; first delivery and introduction by Southwest Airlines was scheduled for 2019. 6 February Singapore Airshow is held 6–11 February. 7 February A light Business Jet, the first Pilatus PC-24 is delivered to PlaneSense. 9 February After in-flight failures of PW1100G turbofans with its high pressure compressor aft hub modified –apparently problems of its knife edge seal, the EASA and Airbus grounds some Airbus A320neo aircraft until they are fitted with spares. 11 February Saratov Airlines Flight 703, an Antonov An-148-100B, crashed shortly after takeoff from Domodedovo Airport killing all 71 people on board. 13 February United Airlines Flight 1175, a Boeing 777-222 registered as N773UA, suffered an in-flight separation of a fan blade on the right engine over the Pacific Ocean. The pilots continued flying for 120 miles and then executed an emergency landing at its destination airport. 16 February Boeing announces the 737 MAX-9 variant is certified, clearing it for introduction with Lion Air. 18 February Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 3704, an ATR 72-200, flying from Tehran to Yasuj, crashed into the Zagros Mountains, south of Ispahan after it disappeared from radar, 50 minutes after taking off from Mehrabad Airport, killing all 66 people on board. 20 February The first stretched A350-1000 is delivered to Qatar Airways, and will be introduced on its London Heathrow route on 24 February. 28 February Dassault Aviation unveils the Falcon 6X large business jet based on the Falcon 5X: it should make its first flight in early 2021 and begin deliveries in 2022. Embraer receives its type certificate from the ANAC, FAA and EASA for the first member of the E-Jets E2 family, the E190-E2.
March 6 March An Antonov An-26 of the Russian Air Force crashes shortly before landing at Syria killing all 39 occupants onboard. 9 March Turkish Airlines ordered 25 Boeing 787-9 and 25 Airbus A350-900 with five options each, to be delivered from 2019 to 2024, as the catalogue price of the A350s alone is $9.5 billion. 11 March A Turkish Bombardier Challenger CL-604, registered as TC-TRB, crashed in the Zagros Mountains near Shahr-e Kord, Iran, killing all 11 people on board. 12 March US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 registered as S2-AGU, crashed while landing at Tribhuvan International Airport near Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 people on board. 13 March The 10,000th Boeing 737 is rolled-out, a MAX 8 destined for Southwest Airlines: continuously manufactured since 1967, over 4,600 orders are pending. The General Electric GE9X, the Boeing 777X engine, makes its first flight. 16 March The smallest 737 MAX 7 took off for its first flight from its Renton factory for three hours, reached and , and landed in Moses Lake, WA, Boeing's flight test centre. 20 March Ryanair announces it will acquire - subject to EU Competition approval - 75% of Austrian airline Laudamotion, built from the assets of the former Niki including A320 airliners, for €50m plus €50m for year 1 start up and operating costs, aiming for profitability by year 3 and a fleet of 30. 21 March Asian low-cost carrier Lion Air Group takes delivery of the first stretched 737 MAX 9 before entering service with Thai Lion Air. 22 March Boeing declines to appeal the US ITC ruling in its CSeries dumping petition. All Nippon Airways announces the integration of its two low cost carrier subsidiaries Peach Aviation and Vanilla Air, starting in the second half of the FY2018 and to be completed by the end of FY2019 into Peach, planning over 50 aircraft beyond FY2020, up from 35 today, operating on more than 50 routes, up from 39 currently, and targeting a ¥150 () billion revenue and a 10% operating profit for FY2020.
25 March Boeing delivers the first stretched 787-10 to Singapore Airlines. 26 March Founded in 1977 and once the largest provider of US Essential Air Service from 1992 to 2002, Great Lakes Airlines stopped scheduled passenger flights due to pilot shortage caused by US regulations requiring first officers to have 1,500 flight hours, up from 250 hours since 2013, leaving a fleet of 28 Beechcraft 1900Ds and six Embraer 120s, but continue to support Aerodynamics Inc. flights. 29 March A takeover bid of £8.1 billion ($11.4 billion), up from £7 billion initially in January, from turnaround specialist Melrose Industries for UK aerostructure specialist GKN is accepted by a majority of the later's shareholders, while Melrose aims for an over £10 billion market capitalisation.
April
1 April The 100th anniversary of the formation of Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918 in the United Kingdom it is the oldest independent air force in the world. 2 April NASA awards Lockheed Martin a $247.5 million contract to design, build and deliver in late 2021 the Quiet Supersonic Technology Low-Boom X-plane. 3 April Already a Boeing 737 MAX 8 customer, Indian Jet Airways order 75 more, not disclosing the variant, valued at $7.2 to $9.7 billion before customary discounts. 4 April Cirrus Aircraft is awarded the 2017 Collier Trophy for designing, certifying, and entering-into-service the SF50 Vision, the first single-engine personal jet. China proposes 25% tariffs on Boeing airliners in retaliation to Trump tariffs, with a weight cap apparently to leave negotiations open. Widerøe takes delivery of its first of three 114-seat Embraer 190-E2 in Sao Jose dos Campos. 6 April Adding to its previous order for 42, American Airlines orders 47 Boeing 787s, 22 -8s and 25 -9s, for over $12 billion at list prices. American simultaneously cancels its 22 Airbus A350s order originally placed by US Airways. 11 April In northern Algeria, an Algerian Air Force Il-76 transport plane crashes shortly after take-off from Boufarik Airport, killing its 257 occupants. 17 April A failure of the left engine on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 broke a window, causing a passenger to be partially sucked out. That person died and seven other people were injured. The plane was flying from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Dallas Love Field and made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport. 24 April Widerøe introduces the Embraer 190-E2 between Bergen and Tromsø, Norway. Virgin America made its final flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles before being taken over by Alaska Airlines. 25 April ILA Berlin Air Show is held 25–29 April.
May
1 May Boeing acquires aircraft parts manufacturer KLX, Inc for $3.2 billion, valuing it at $4.25 billion including $1 billion of net debt. In over 15 countries, KLX sells $1.4 billion per year of fasteners and consumables within its 1 million items catalog, and will be integrated within Aviall with its 2,000 employees. 2 May A Lockheed WC-130H of the Puerto Rican Air National Guard crashed shortly after take-off after an engine failure killing all nine occupants onboard. 3 May BAE Systems and Prismatic Ltd announce their collaboration to develop the , wingspan BAE Systems PHASA-35 solar powered high altitude UAV for flight tests in 2019, offering a one year endurance for surveillance and communications alternatively to satellites. 4 May Air France-KLM CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac resigns after 55% of the airline's staff rejected a 7% wage increase over 4 years proposal. 7 May At the ICAO, the North Korean Government requests to launch routes between its capital Pyongyang and South Korea capital Seoul through Air Koryo after the 2018 inter-Korean summit. 8 May United States President Donald Trump withdraws from the Iran Nuclear Deal, effectively cancelling $38 billion of Airbus and Boeing orders from Iran Air. 11 May Challenged by four unions representing 135,000 airline workers, the US Department of Transportation approval for Norwegian Air International is maintained by a judicial panel. 14 May An Airbus A319 from Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633, departing Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport and bounded to Lhasa Gonggar Airport, diverts to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport after its right windshield cracked and blew off in cruise at 33,000 feet (FL330) without any fatalities. 15 May