2024 in Review: Commercial Aviation

The FAA ramped up oversight of Boeing after missing bolts caused an exit door plug to blow out on an Alaska Airlines 737-9 on Jan. 5 on Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, leading to uncontrolled decompression. The aircraft made an emergency landing, with only minor injuries among the 171 passengers and six crew.

JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines terminated their $3.8 billion merger agreement in March after the U.S. Justice Department blocked the deal on antitrust grounds, arguing it would lead to reduced  competition. In November, low-cost carrier Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring in the face of mounting losses and looming debt payments.

Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 one-third-scale demonstrator made its first flight on March 22 from Mojave Air & Space Port in California, with the goal of demonstrating the startup’s ability to design a supersonic aircraft and paving the way for the planned Overture Mach 1.7 commercial transport aircraft. Supersonic flight is expected in 2025.

Airbus’ long-range A321XLR received European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification on July 19 for the version powered by CFM Leap 1A engines. Spanish airline Iberia received the first aircraft on Oct. 30. With an additional rear center fuel tank, the A321XLR has a range of 4,700 nm with a maximum of 244 passengers.

Boeing on July 1 agreed to reacquire key aerostructures supplier Spirit AeroSystems in an all-stock deal with a total transaction value of $8.3 billion including debt. The acquisition is expected to close in mid-2025. Airbus planned to sign an agreement to acquire Spirit’s Airbus work packages by the end of 2024.

It was a tumultuous year for Southwest Airlines, which revamped its longstanding customer model to improve financial performance, with assigned seats and premium seating, and saw the retirement of longtime leader Gary Kelly and reconstitution of its board in response to pressure from activist investor Elliot Management.

Swedish startup Heart Aerospace rolled out the first full-scale demonstrator for its ES-30 hybrid-electric 30-seat regional airliner on Sept. 12. With a 105-ft. wingspan, the Heart X1 will be used for ground testing at Save Airport in Sweden and then be moved to Plattsburgh International Airport, New York, for all-electric flight testing in 2025.

A seven-week strike by workers that idled Boeing’s 737, 767 and 777 production lines in the Puget Sound, Washington, region ended on Nov. 4 with the union accepting a 38% pay increase over four years. Production of the 737 MAX restarted on Dec. 1, with the widebody lines following.

NASA in November launched studies of advanced sustainable airliner concepts to enable net-zero commercial aviation by 2050, issuing awards totaling $11.5 million to Boeing company Aurora Flight Sciences, Electra.aero, JetZero, Pratt & Whitney and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Air China on Nov. 12 signed a framework agreement to become launch customer for the C929 and contribute to state-owned Comac’s development of the widebody airliner. The initial C929-600 is designed for a 6,500-nm range with 281 passengers. No entry-into-service date has been released.