Iran Air Flight 277, crashes while performing a go-around at
Urmia Airport killing 77 of the 106 people aboard, and injuring 26 people. A total of 28 people survived. The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 727-286Adv.
10 January
AirAsia Flight 5218, operated by
Airbus A320-216 9M-AHH, sustained substantial damage in a runway excursion accident at
Kuching Airport, Malaysia. All 123 passengers and six crew members survived. The Flight from
Kuala Lumpur Subang International Airport to
Kuching Airport. The flight landed on
Kuching's runway 25 in heavy rain around but skidded to the right and went off the side of the runway. It came to rest in the grass with the nose gear dug in or collapsed.[3]
British Airways and
Iberia merge to form
International Airlines Group (IAG), the world's third-largest airline in terms of annual revenue and the second-largest airline group in Europe. However, both airlines continue to operate under their previous brands.
The
United States Air Force announces that the
C-17 Globemaster III is its first aircraft certified to fly on
biofuel. The certification clears the C-17 to fly on a volumetric blend of up to 50 percent
HRJ biofuel and 50 percent
JP-8 conventional
jet fuel or on a blend of 25 percent HRJ, 25 percent synthetic paraffinic
kerosene fuel, and 50 percent JP-8. It also announces that it plans to complete flight testing of HRJ by February 2012 and to have all U.S. Air Force aircraft certified to use biofuels by December 2012.[7]
As violence in the
Libyan Civil War grows,
Libyan Air Force warplanes and
attack helicopters launch airstrikes on protesters, reportedly targeting a funeral procession and a group of protesters trying to reach a military base.[11][12]
Two senior Libyan Air Force pilots fly their
Dassault Mirage F1 fighters to
Malta and request political asylum after defying orders to bomb protesters.[13][14] Two civilian helicopters also land in Malta after a flight from Libya, carrying seven passengers who claim to be French oil workers.[14]
The Libyan opposition's interim-government council formally requests that the United Nations impose a no-fly zone over Libya and conduct precision air strikes against Libyan government forces,[20] and the
Arab League states that a no-fly zone is necessary and adds that in cooperation with the
African Union, it could impose a militarily-enforced no-fly zone without the United Nation's backing.[25]
4 March
The Libyan Air Force conducts occasional air strikes on Ajdabiya's weapon-storage area, with no reported casualties.[26]
Libyan opposition forces capture the Libyan airbase at
Ra's Lanuf.[27]
Opposition forces shoot down a Libyan Air Force jet fighter over Ra's Lanuf after it attempts to bomb the town, killing its two pilots.[28][29]
9 March
The
Space ShuttleDiscovery, first of the space shuttles to be retired, glides to a landing to end its 39th and final mission – the most by any space shuttle.[30]
A U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle overshoots the
runway at Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti, Djibouti, and crashes into a fence. No one is injured. Investigators blame the accident on a melted
throttle part and pilot confusion and inattention, as well as the inability of any remote pilot to react to cues such as wind rush or high engine pitch that would suggest to the pilot of a manned aircraft that the aircraft was approaching the runway too steeply and at too high a speed.[4]
A
United States Air ForceF-22 Raptor reaches
Mach 1.5 during
supercruise at an altitude of 40,000 feet (12,000 meters) over
Edwards Air Force Base,
California, using fuel made of a 50/50 blend of
JP-8 conventional
jet fuel and a
biofuel made from Camelina sativa. The flight, which also included other maneuvers, is a major step forward toward the U.S. Air Force's goal of using alternative fuel blends derived from domestic sources to meet 50 percent of its domestic aviation fuel needs by 2016.[35]
An airstrike by the international coalition against a Libyan government military ground convoy approaching
Misrata destroys 14
tanks, 20
armored personnel carriers, and several trucks filled with ammunition, killing at least 14 Libyan government soldiers.[40]
Coalition air strikes target Libyan government military forces in Misrata, at
Ajdabiya's eastern gate, in eastern
Tripoli, and at
Tajura. They also hit Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi's compound at
Bab al-Aziziya.[43][44] Royal Air Force
Air Vice MarshalGreg Bagwell states that the Libyan Air Force "no longer exists as a fighting force" and that coalition aircraft are "operating with impunity" over Libya.[45]
24 March
A French fighter aircraft destroys a Libyan government
Soko G-2 Galeb military trainer aircraft on the ground just after it had landed at a Libyan base following a flight in which it violated the no-fly zone over Libya.[46] French aircraft also bomb the
Al Jufra Air Base.[47][48]
25 March
French and British jets strike Libyan government tanks and
artillery in eastern Libya to help rebel forces to take
Ajdabiya.[49]
Coalition aircraft attack targets on the outskirts of Misrata, Libya.[52]
France reports that at least five Libyan government
Soko G-2 Galeb fighter planes and two Libyan government
Mil Mi-24 (NATO reporting name "Hind")
attack helicopters preparing to attack rebel forces in the
Az Zintan and Misrata regions have been shot down in the last 24 hours.[53]
28 March
British jets bomb ammunition bunkers in southern Libya and destroy 22 tanks, other armoured vehicles, and artillery pieces in the vicinity of Ajdabiya and Misrata.[54]
28–29 March (overnight)
Coalition aircraft fly 115 strike sorties against targets in Libya.[55]
After a
sandstorm prevents strikes the previous day, coalition aircraft begin attacks against Libyan government forces around
Ra's Lanuf and on the road to
Uqayla.[57]
Coalition aircraft strike an eastern suburb of Tripoli, Libya,[59] and attack Libyan government forces in
Brega during the
Third Battle of Brega.[60][61]
April
1 April
In the
Libyan Civil War, a coalition airstrike attacking a Libyan government ground convoy in eastern
Libya causes a truck carrying ammunition to explode, destroying two nearby houses. Seven civilians die and 25 are wounded.[62]
A Libyan rebel convoy near
Brega fires into the air with an
anti-aircraft gun, perhaps in celebration. A U.S. Air Force
A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft believing it was under attack by Libyan government forces then returns fire, killing at least 13 people.[63]
Coalition airstrikes against an eight-vehicle Libyan government military convoy approaching rebel positions 30 km (19 mi) east of
Brega destroy two vehicles. The rest turn back.[65]
7 April
Unaware that Libyan rebels had taken possession of any tanks,
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) aircraft mistakenly strike a Libyan rebel tank convoy near
Ajdabiya, killing thirteen and wounding many,[66][67] Other NATO airstrikes mistakenly kill two rebels and wound 10 in Brega.[68][69]
10 April
NATO announces that its airstrikes in Libya under
Operation Unified Protector have destroyed 11 Libyan government
tanks near Ajdabiya and 14 near Misrata during the day.[70] Libyan rebels announce that NATO airstrikes have helped them hold Ajdabiya and drive Gaddafi's forces out during the weekend's attack.[71]
11 April
NATO announces that its Operation Unified Protector airstrikes have destroyed 49 Libyan government tanks since 9 April, including 13 on 9 April 25 on 10 April, and 11 on 11 April.[72]
Coalition jets strike Tripoli, Libya, targeting a military base and damaging parts of a university complex. Libyan government
antiaircraft artillery in central Tripoli fires at them.[74]
Libyan rebels claim that coalition airstrikes on Libyan government forces on the
Al Zaitoniya–
Al Soihat road near
Ajdabiya hit 21 military vehicles but NATO does not confirm their claim.[75]
25 April
Prime Minister of
ItalySilvio Berlusconi approves the use of Italian aircraft in ground-attack missions in Libya as part of NATO's Operation Unified Protector.[76]
27 April
NATO airstrikes mistakenly kill 11 Libyan rebels and wound two in Misrata.[77]
30 April
The Syrian government deploys helicopters to
Daraa in response to antiregime protests there as violence increases in the
Syrian Civil War.[78]
A NATO airstrike in Tripoli kills Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi's son
Saif al-Arab Gaddafi. The Libyan government claims that three of Said al-Arab Gaddafi's children also die in the attack.[79]
A U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle suffers an electrical failure and crashes in the
Gulf of Aden one mile (1.6 km) off
Djibouti,
Djibouti.[4]
The first
Solar Impulse aircraft, HB-SIA, the first
solar-powered aircraft capable of both day and night flight thanks to its batteries charged by solar power, makes its first international flight, flying 630 km (390 mi) from
Payerne Airport outside
Payerne,
Switzerland, to
Brussels Airport in
Belgium, in 12 hours 59 minutes at an average speed of 50 km/h (31 mph).[85][86]
17 May
A U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle carrying a live
AGM-114 Hellfireair-to-surface missile misses the runway at Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti, Djibouti, by three miles (4.8 km) and crashes near a residential area. Its missile does not explode, and no one is injured.[4]
18 May
Omega Aerial Refueling Services Flight 70, a Boeing 707, veers off the runway in California following an engine separation. The aircraft is consumed by fire. Everyone survives.
19–20 May (overnight)
NATO aircraft raid
Libyan Navy bases at Tripoli,
Khoms, and
Sirte in the largest attack against Libyan government naval forces thus far in the
Libyan Civil War. During the Khoms raids, British aircraft hit two
corvettes at Khoms with
laser-guided bombs and damage an inflatable-boat manufacturing facility, and NATO aircraft set a warship at Tripoli afire. NATO aircraft also hit a police academy in Tripoli's
Tajoura neighborhood.[87]
21 May
NATO conducts 147 air sorties over Libya, targeting two
command-and-control facilities in and near Tripoli, an ammunition storage facility near Tripoli, a naval asset near
Sirte, two
air defense radars near
Al Khums, and a tank and a military truck near
Zintan. Since NATO took command of air strikes in Libya on 31 March 31, its aircraft have conducted 2,975 strike and 4.757 other sorties.[58]
23 May
France and the United Kingdom announce that they will begin to use
attack helicopters in Libya to increase the accuracy of NATO airstrikes and allow more precise strikes against
urban targets.[88]
24 May
NATO stages the largest air attacks against Tripoli since th beginning of the international intervention in the
Libyan Civil War, with ore than 20 airstrikes hitting Tripoli near Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi's compound. The Libyan government reports at least three people killed and dozens wounded.[89]
26 May
The United Kingdom announces plans to send four
Apache helicopters to serve in the Libyan conflict.[90]
27 May
NATO aircraft conduct 151 sorties over Libya, striking a command and control facility in Tripoli, ammunition storage facilities near Sirte,
Mizda, and
Hun, a rocket launcher and two truck-mounted guns near
Misrata, and four
surface-to-air missile launchers near
Zintan. NATO jets also destroy the guard towers surrounding Gaddafi's
Bab al-Azizia compound in Tripoli. NATO aircraft have flown 8,585 sorties over Libya since NATO took command of the operations there on 31 March.[91]
As of 27 May, a total of twenty NATO ships were actively patrolling the Central Mediterranean.[90][91]
28 May
Japanesewingsuit pilot
Shin Ito sets a world record for the highest speed reached in a wingsuit flight, achieving a speed of 363 km/h (226 mph) over
Yolo County,
California. The jump starts from an altitude of 32,000 feet (9,800 meters).[92]
The Libyan government claims that NATO air raids have killed 718 civilians and injured more than 4,000 since the international bombing campaign to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya began.[94]
June
2 June
NATO air attacks in Libya destroy ammunition and vehicle depots, a
surface-to-air missile launcher, and a radar installation in
Tripoli.[95]
British Army Air Corps Apache attack helicopters from HMS Ocean destroy several Libyan government targets near the Brega-
Ajdabiya front line, including ammunition bunkers and radar installations. French Gazelles hit numerous targets around Brega in preparation for an expected rebel ground offensive.[98][99]
A NATO airstrike accidentally hits a civilian neighborhood in Tripoli, Libya. The Libyan government claims that at least five people died in the attack.[104][105]
Libyan government antiaircraft fire shoots down an unmanned NATO
MQ-8 Fire Scout helicopter drone on a reconnaissance flight near
Zliten, Libya.[106]
29 June
KLM becomes the first airline in the world to provide flights using
biofuel.[107]
The French military confirms that it had air-dropped weapons in early June to Libyan rebels fighting in the highlands south of Tripoli, which
Russia and the
African Union in particular argue was in violation of the arms embargo against Libya under
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.[108]
An airstrip laid out along a stretch of highway near Rhebat in the Nafusa Mountains was opened by a senior NTC minister, allowing an air connection via a small private company,
Air Libya, between Benghazi and the Amazigh rebels.[112]
NATO aircraft strike various targets in
Ziltan, Libya. The Libyan government claims that they struck a health clinic, a food-storage complex, and a military base and killed at least 11 civilians. NATO later rejects the claims, saying its planes hit a command-and-control node and a vehicle storage facility.[116]
The
Government of
Niger begins patrols by
Niger Air Force aircraft over its border with Libya to avoid infiltration of Niger's territory by armed groups from Libya and the crossing of the border by mercenaries from the
Sahel heading to
Sabha, Libya, and to end the smuggling of military forces and resources out of Libya.[131]
Key West International Airport receives approval to provide commercial air service between
Key West,
Florida, and
Cuba. It will take more than two years for charter airline operators to receive all the necessary permissions to make the first flight, which will take place on
30 December 2013 as the first commercial flight between Key West and Cuba in over 50 years.[143]
10 October
Flying a modified
Yakovlev Yak-3U powered by a
Pratt & Whitney R-2000 engine,
William Whiteside sets an official international speed record for piston-engined aircraft in the under−3,000 kg (−6,600 lb) category, reaching 655 km/h (407 mph) over a 3 km (1.9 mi) course at the
Bonneville Salt Flats in
Utah in the United States, greatly exceeding the previous record of 491 km/h (305 mph) set in 2002 by
Jim Wright.[144]
In the same modified Yak-3U, William Whiteside sets an unofficial speed record for piston-engined aircraft in the under−3,000 kg (−6,600 lb) category of 670 km/h (420 mph) over the same 3 km (1.9 mi) course at the Bonneville Salt Flats.[144]
An electric-powered
multicopter achieves sustained flight without ground assistance for the first time, when the battery-powered, 16-
rotore-volo VC1 helicopter achieves an altitude of 3 meters (9.8 feet) for 90 seconds at
Karlsruhe,
Germany. The VC1 reportedly can remain airborne for 20 minutes on a single charge. The flight will win
e-volo the
Lindbergh Prize for advances in
environmentally friendly ("green") aviation.[147]
U.S. Air Force inspectors ground the Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles based at Seychelles International Airport on Mahé in the Seychelles after discovering that the Reapers, operated by the private firm
Merlin RAMCo, had not received required mechanical upgrades. The Reapers remain grounded until December.[4]
Americanwingsuit flier
Dean Potter makes the longest verified wingsuit
BASE jump in terms of distance traveled, covering 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) in a jump from the
Eiger in
Switzerland. His flight involves a descent of 9,200 feet (2,800 meters) and lasts 3 minutes 20 seconds.[152]
13 November
The
Dubai-based airline
Emirates orders 50
Boeing 777 airliners worth about US$18,000,000,000 – the largest order in terms of commercial value in
Boeing's history at the time – with an option to purchase 20 more 777s for another $8,000,000,000.[153]
18 November
Lion Air and Boeing sign the most valuable commercial order in history at the time, a
$21,700,000,000 Lion Air order for 201
Boeing 737 MAX and 29
Boeing 737-900ER airliners. At 230 aircraft, it is also the single biggest order in history at the time for airliners in terms of the number of aircraft ordered. The deal also includes options for another 150 future aircraft for Lion Air.[154][155]
26 November
American aircraft participating in a
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-Afghan operation against insurgents in
Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan mistakenly attack a Pakistani border post, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers.[156]
Iran announces its capture of the CIA UAV, claiming to have shot it down. The United States acknowledges the loss of the UAV for the first time, but denies that it was shot down.[157]
The low-cost
Thai airline
Thai Lion Air, a subsidiary of
Lion Air, makes its first flight, flying on the
Bangkok-
Chiang Mai route. It begins full service the following day.
10 December
Thai Lion Air and
Malindo Air conclude an agreement allowing both airlines to serve the Bangkok-
Kuala Lumpur route.
The engine of an unarmed, contractor-operated U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle fails two minutes after takeoff from Seychelles International Airport on Mahé in the Seychelles. The Reaper descends too quickly while its operator attempts an emergency landing at the airport, touches down too far along the runway, bounces over a perimeter road and
breakwater, and crashes and sinks in the Indian Ocean about 200 feet (61 meters) offshore.[4]
^Dagher, Sam; Hodge, Nathan; Solomon, Jay; Fidler, Stephen (25 March 2011).
"NATO To Enforce No-Fly Zone Over Libya". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
^Johnson, Andrew (2 September 2011). "Blue Angels Use Biofuel at Patuxent Air Show.". United States Department of Defense (press release). Retrieved 3 September 2011.