Wednesday, December 11 2024 the Fedex flight FX922 departed Milwaukee, WI to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, IL.

The Boeing 757-222SF took off from runway 25L at 18:49 CST and climbed to 10,000 ft for only 5 minutes as the pilots had to already start approach to Chicago.

The aircraft (registration N774FD) landed only 27 minutes later on runway 27R at the North side of ORD airport, far from the freight area.

The plane vacated the runway then taxied all the way through the airport to reach the Fedex shipping center which is at the South.

With a ground speed between 20 and 50 km/h, it took 40 minutes for the aircraft to reach its destination.

Runway 28C was active for landings at that time which is only 200 meters from the freight hub. But sometimes, operation operations and flight paths are not that simple.

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On Thursday, December 26 2024, the flight JU142 departed Belgrade to Budapest.

The Airbus A319-100 (registration YU-APD) stopped the climb at 20,000 ft when the crew heard noise from the left hand engine and observed abnormal indications from the engine according to The Aviation Herald.

The flight immediately returned to Belgrade only 36 minutes after departure.

Serbia’s Traffic Accident Investigation Center investigators determined the reverser was missing an area of about 1 by 2 meters, which had separated and fallen off in flight.

The aircraft resumed operations only very recently on Jan 16th, 2025 for a flight to London Heathrow.

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The Boeing 737-800 plane, which departed from the Thai capital Bangkok for Muan county in southwestern South Korea, belly-landed and overshot the regional airport’s runway, bursting into flames after hitting an embankment.

Only two crew members at the tail end of the plane survived the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.

About four minutes before the fatal crash, one of the pilots reported a bird strike and declared an emergency before initiating a go-around and attempting to land on the opposite end of the runway, according to South Korean authorities.

Investigators have found bird feathers and blood in both engines instead of just one as previously reported, a person familiar with the probe told media on Friday.

South Korea’s transport ministry declined to comment on whether feathers and blood were found in both engines.

The plane’s two black boxes stopped recording about four minutes before the accident, posing a challenge to the ongoing investigation.

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Cirium’s Annual report is the gold standard for global airline and airport performance analytics. An on-time flight is defined as a flight that arrives within 14:59 minutes of the scheduled gate arrival time. Airports measure punctuality as departing flights within 14:59 minutes of their scheduled departure time.

Global airline leaders were: 

Aeromexico claimed the prestigious title of the most On-Time “Global Airline” in 2024, achieving an impressive On-Time performance rate of 86.70%. Saudia followed closely as the runner-up with 86.35%, while Delta Air Lines secured third place with 83.46%, continuing to showcase its operational reliability on the world stage.

In Europe the leading airlines were: 

Cirium’s Annual Review also acknowledges the operational excellence of airlines across the world, with five regional awards. Iberia Express, member of the International Airlines Group, had success as both the most On-Time airline in Europe, and the most On-Time Low-Cost airline globally. Japan Airlines ranked first within Asia-Pacific, just slightly ahead of All Nippon Airways.

In North America the leading airlines were: 

Delta Air Lines continued its dominance in North America, while Copa Airlines achieved a landmark 10th win in Latin America. FlySafair also won most On-Time airline in the Middle East and Africa. The full tables of results by region and category are presented below.

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A Swiss International Air Lines flight bound for Zurich from Bucharest made an emergency landing in Austria on December 23, 2024 because of engine problems and smoke in the cabin and cockpit that left one crew member in intensive care.

He was taken to hospital by helicopter and transferred to the intensive care unit. A week later, he died as a result of severe oxygen deprivation.

Mysterious cause of death

According to Sonntagsblick, the autopsy revealed that the flight attendant suffered from hypoxic brain damage and cerebral edema – both the result of a massive lack of oxygen. He was also found to have an unusually large heart and purulent bronchitis.

The public prosecutor’s office in Graz is now investigating what role the breathing mask worn by the flight attendant may have played. These masks are specially designed to provide oxygen in a smoky environment.

Safety concerns about masks

The safety of the respiratory masks used has been criticized, as the Sonntagszeitung newspaper knows. Swiss had already announced in 2023 that some of the mask models were outdated and should be replaced. However, these masks are still being used in the affected A220 fleet.

According to a Swiss spokesperson, the masks are still certified and safe. However, measures are being examined to replace the remaining models more quickly.

Investigation

The Austrian and Swiss authorities are currently investigating the causes of the incident. The aircraft’s engine is also being forensically analyzed. The affected Airbus A220 is expected to return to service soon after repair work and thorough cleaning.

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Due to a series of deadly crashes, this year is the first time since 2018 that flight fatalities have exceeded 300 people.

A total of 318 people died in plane fatalities this year, according to data from the Aviation Safety Network. This marks the deadliest year in aviation since 2018, when 557 people died on commercial flights.

Analysis of the Deadliest Years in Commercial Aviation

Throughout the history of aviation, certain years have stood out due to their particularly high fatality rates, marking somber chapters in the tale of air travel. Notably, 1972 and 1985 emerged as two of the most deadly years for the commercial aviation industry, each characterized by a series of tragic incidents that spurred profound changes in safety regulations and industry standards.

In 1972, commercial aviation recorded an alarming 2,027 fatalities, making it one of the most catastrophic years. The majority of these incidents stemmed from human error and mechanical failures, often exacerbated by weather-related challenges. For instance, the crash of a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 in Jamaica, which resulted in 100 fatalities, underscored the grave consequences of pilot error and inadequate pre-flight assessments. Such incidents revealed systemic flaws in training and operational protocols, prompting a re-evaluation of standards across airlines worldwide.

Similarly, 1985 witnessed another peak in aviation fatalities, totaling approximately 2,200 deaths. This year’s trauma was defined by several high-profile accidents, including the crash of Arrow Air Flight 1285 in Newfoundland, where 256 lives were lost. Investigations unveiled underlying issues related to both human decision-making and aging aircraft technologies. The increased passenger numbers and the rapid expansion of airlines during this period further contributed to operational pressures, which at times prioritized growth over safety.

In conclusion

The continuous improvement in commercial aviation safety reflects a commitment to learning from the past. By examining historical trends and understanding the factors that have influenced accident rates, stakeholders within the aviation industry can work towards creating an even safer environment for air travel. The importance of these lessons is underscored when reviewing the deadliest years in aviation history, enabling the industry to implement practices that prioritize safety.

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OAG examined airline capacity data from November 23–27, highlighting the busiest airlines, key source countries for international travelers, and top cities for arrivals during this peak season.

Airline Capacity Highlights

As anticipated, the “Big Four” US airlines dominate during the Thanksgiving rush:

• American Airlines led the race, offering 3.6 million seats over the five days.
• Southwest Airlines followed closely with 3.3 million seats.
• Delta Air Lines secured the third spot with 3.2 million seats.
• United Airlines rounded off the top four with 2.7 million seats.
• Alaska Airlines took the fifth place, offerin around 800,000 seats.

Top Source Countries for Visitors to the US

Unsurprisingly, international visitors to the US also surged during Thanksgiving, with the top five countries accounting for significant capacity:

1. Mexico: 374,869 seats
2. Canada: 239,486 seats
3. United Kingdom: 148,118 seats
4. Puerto Rico: 108,025 seats
5. Germany: 77,252 seats

Top Destinations for Thanksgiving Travelers

Major US cities saw a boost in arrivals ahead of Thanksgiving:

• New York City tops the list with 1.2 million seats scheduled.
• Atlanta comes in second with 919,676 seats, supported by its position as home to the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson.
• Dallas ranks third, just behind Atlanta.
• Chicago claims fourth place with 820,368 seats.
• Los Angeles rounds out the top five with 705,902 seats.

Interestingly, these same cities also dominate departure volumes in the three days following Thanksgiving.

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On 6 December 2023, an Airbus A380-842 aircraft, registered VH‑OQI and operated by Qantas Airways Limited, was undergoing a 3-day scheduled maintenance check at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), United States. 

On day one of the maintenance check, during a scheduled borescope inspection of the outboard left engine, a tool was left in the engine inlet. On the evening of 8 December, the aircraft was released to service and departed for Melbourne, Victoria. 

On 1 January 2024, the aircraft returned to the LAX maintenance facility for a 3-day scheduled maintenance check, where the missing tool was discovered in the outboard left engine low‑pressure compressor. The aircraft had flown 34 cycles totalling 293.74 hours with the tool in the outboard left engine.

What the ATSB found

The ATSB found that the tool was not located during the end of task foreign object inspections, which resulted in it remaining in the engine. The Qantas Engineering lost tool procedure was not commenced prior to the aircraft being released to service and the certifying engineer did not follow up on the lost tool, prior to releasing the aircraft to service. 

What has been done as a result

On 2 January 2024, a Qantas Engineering internal incident report was raised with an immediate action to brief staff on the importance of ensuring that all tooling is returned and actioned by tool store personnel. A Qantas Engineering internal investigation was completed and on 4 March 2024, the executive manager for Qantas Engineering released an internal safety directive for immediate action requiring all Qantas Engineering employees to meet the company tooling control requirements without exception.

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The incident took place at 31,000 feet as the flight was near Lake Berryessa, about 70 miles north of San Francisco.

United Airlines says as flight 2428 from Newark, New Jersey, was descending into San Francisco International Airport last Thursday, it “slowed its descent to account for another aircraft at a lower altitude.”

Both injured passengers were taken to the hospital, United said in a statement. The seatbelt sign was on at the time.

An FAA incident report says one passenger received serious injuries and another minor injuries last Thursday when the pilots responded to a traffic collision avoidance system resolution advisory or “TCAS RA.”

Audio from LiveATC.net captured the pilots declaring a medical emergency, telling air traffic controllers in Oakland that “someone might have broken an ankle and there’s passengers that got hurt when we had an RA.”

In a statement, the FAA said “there was no loss of safe separation.”

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The Airservices Australia controller was found lying across two chairs with a blanket covering them at 5.15am on December 9, 2022, a report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said.

The controller had completed multiple night shifts with reduced extended rest periods, “which likely reduced their ability to obtain restorative sleep,” the report said.

ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the controller had increased their chances of falling asleep “by lying across two chairs, not moving, and not undertaking activities to maintain mental alertness”.

When a colleague discovered the controller asleep, there was no traffic in the Cairns airspace they were responsible for managing, which was usual for that time of day, and there were no scheduled flights until after their shift.

“There were no negative consequences from this occurrence, but it does highlight areas for improvement in work scheduling and fatigue risk management,” said Mitchell .

The ATSB report found changes to the worker’s shifts were introduced on short notice because of rostering issues.

Since the incident, Airservices Australia has increased its overall number of air traffic controllers, including in the North Queensland group.

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The aircraft was scheduled to embark on a multi-day charter away from base with a flight crew consisting of three pilots, an engineer, a load master and six cabin crew. The first sector was a positioning flight from London Stansted Airport to Orlando International Airport, Florida. In addition to the 11 crew there were nine passengers on board who were all employees of the tour operator or aircraft operating company.

The aircraft was previously at Southend for maintenance repair after being used for VIP flights on behalf of the British government.

The passengers sat together in the middle of the aircraft just ahead of the overwing exits.The aircraft departed a few minutes ahead of schedule and took off from Runway 22. Several passengers recalled that after takeoff the aircraft cabin seemed noisier and colder than theywere used to. As the aircraft climbed through FL100 and the seatbelt signs were switched off, the loadmaster, who had been seated just in front of the other passengers, walked towards the back of the aircraft. He noticed the increased cabin noise as he approached the overwing exits and his attention was drawn to a cabin window on the left side of the aircraft. He observed that the window seal was flapping in the airflow and the windowpane appeared to have slipped down1. He described the cabin noise as ‘loud enough to damage your hearing’.

The loadmaster told the cabin crew and then went to the flight deck to inform the commander. At this stage the aircraft was climbing past FL130, there were no abnormal indications on the flight deck and the aircraft pressurisation system was operating normally. The flight crew stopped the climb at FL140 and reduced airspeed whilst the engineer and then the third pilot went to look at the window. Having inspected the window, it was agreed the aircraft should return to Stansted.

The cabin was quickly secured and the flight crew initiated a descent, first to FL100 and then to FL90. They established the aircraft in a hold whilst they completed the overweight landing checklist, confirmed landing performance and briefed for the return to Stansted.

Having parked and shut down, the crew inspected the aircraft from the outside and saw that two cabin windowpanes were missing and a third was dislodged.

The windows appear to have sustained thermal damage and distortion because of elevated temperatures while illuminated for approximately four to five and a half hours during filming activity the day before the flight. It is likely that the flood lights were positioned closer than 10 m. Whereas in this case the damage became apparent at around FL100 and the flight was concluded uneventfully, a different level of damage by the same means might have resulted in more serious consequences, especially if window integrity was lost at higher differential pressure.

You can download the full UK-AAIB report.

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The Boeing 737 MAX 8 with registration N8788L was flying from Honolulu (HNL) to Lihue, Hawaii (LIH) as flight WN2786. Due to bad weather conditions, the crew initiated a go-around maneuver at approximately 1,000 feet above ground level (AGL), as reported by the Aviation Herald.

However, the aircraft subsequently entered a rapid descent, dropping to a critically low altitude of 400 feet AGL before regaining control and climbing safely back to altitude.

According to an internal memo circulated within Southwest Airlines and data from ADS-B Exchange, the cause of the incident appears to be a pilot error. 

During the go-around maneuver, the First Officer, who was piloting the aircraft, inadvertently pushed the control column forward while monitoring engine power settings. This caused the plane to descend rapidly. 

Thankfully, the crew quickly recognized the situation and initiated a climb, successfully recovering from the descent.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the incident. Southwest Airlines has also addressed the issue through its internal Safety Management System (SMS).

This event highlights the importance of crew coordination and situational awareness during critical maneuvers, especially in challenging weather conditions. The quick response of the Southwest Airlines crew undoubtedly prevented a much more serious situation.

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