NewsBite

Aviation

Advertisement
The most important planes in history.

Game changers: The 10 most important planes in the history of air travel

Can you rank the big birds of commercial aviation in some sort of order? Which aircraft would make the list, and how would they stack up? Here’s our top 10.

  • Chris Leadbeater

Latest

Wreckage from the deadly plane crash in the Potomac River near the Reagan Washington National Airport in late January.

‘Take a​n​ Uber’: Pentagon helicopter ‘scenic’ flight force​s aborted landings at​ crash airport

Two commercial flights were impeded by an army helicopter, just months after 67 people were killed in an eerily similar incident at the same Washington airport.

  • David Shepardson
Flight Centre downgraded its profit guidance on Monday morning.

Canary in the plane cabin: How Trump is changing where Australians travel

Australian companies operating on the global stage, such as Flight Centre, are becoming prone to infection from the global trade malaise.

  • Elizabeth Knight
firebombers

How Victoria’s aerial firefighting fleet saved a tiny Grampians town

On December 12 2024, Victoria’s 54-strong aerial firefighting fleet was unveiled at Avalon Airport. Within days they were all needed.

  • Lachlan Abbott and The Visual Stories Team
While we use the metric system in Australia, in aviation pilots also use imperial measures.

Why plane cockpits have a special setting for flying over China

Everything in the world of aviation is made to measure. But not everyone measures things the same way, which makes a pilot’s job complicated.

  • The Secret Pilot
A flight cancellation by Virgin Australia forced about 100 people to sleep in the airport until Easter morning.

Virgin Australia passengers in NZ stumped by series of errors

Qantas stepped in to provide blankets, mats and sleeping bags for Virgin Australia passengers forced to camp at Queenstown Airport, on Saturday night.

  • Chris Zappone and Poppy Clark
Advertisement
The sleeping bags provided to customers at the Queenstown, New Zealand airport.

‘100 people slept on carpet’: Virgin passengers spend Easter in Queenstown after delay, cancellation

Sydney-bound passengers stranded in New Zealand were unable to find accommodation on Saturday night because of the long weekend.

  • Chris Zappone
XB-1 on a supersonic test flight.

The supersonic start-up that could disrupt aviation with a faster, cheaper plane

Sleek airliners transporting passengers at supersonic speeds and reasonable prices over land could help restore some of the thrill of flying.

  • Chris Zappone
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Boeing deliveries to China have previously been disrupted at times of tension between Washington and Beijing.

Boeing jet returns to US from China amid tariff war

At least one Chinese airline could be halting deliveries due to US tariffs.

  • Lisa Barrington, Sophie Yu, Dan Catchpole and Tim Hepher
Malaysia Airlines

Flying to Asia? Australians become spoilt for airline choice

Malaysia Airlines will introduce more daily flights using the all-new Airbus A330neo fleet, which offers enhanced passenger comfort.

  • Chris Zappone

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/aviation-5ut