2005 in aviation

January
January 18 - The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, gets unveiled in an elaborate ceremony in France.

January 29 - Nonstop flights between mainland China and Taiwan take off for the first time since 1949.

February
February 3 - Kam Air Flight 904 crashes. There were no survivors.

February 9 - 13 - Aero-India show in Bangalore, India

February 17 - Several airlines will have to pay heavy compensation to passengers for flight delays and cancellations under a European regulation.

February 17 - Opening of a new international airport in Nagoya, Japan. It is the third Japanese international airport.

March
Lufthansa acquired their first 11% of Swiss International Air Lines

March 5 - Steve Fossett completes the first non-stop, solo circumnavigation of the world in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, completing the trip in 67 hours and 2 minutes.

March 11 - Jetsgo ceases all operations and declares bankruptcy protection.

March 11 - China's first private airline, Okay Airlines has its maiden revenue flight.

March 16 – A Regional Airlines Antonov An-24 aircraft carrying oil workers to Varandey, Russia crashed five kilometers from the runway. A mixture of bad weather and pilot error caused the crash. Twenty-six of the 45 passengers died as well as two of the seven crew members.

March 17 - A judge has found millionaire Sikh businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik and sawmill worker Ajaib Singh Bagri not guilty of conspiracy and murder in the 1985 Air India bombing that killed 329 people.

March 23 - Baku Cargo Terminal was opened and started to operate.

March 28 - Chicago Express, also known as ATA Connection, ceased operations.

April
April 12 – A GT Air de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100 aircraft crashes in Indonesia, all 18 on board die.

May
May 3 – Airwork Flight 23, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner crashes in Taranaki, New Zealand killing both crew members.

May 25 – A chartered Maniema Union Antonov An-28 aircraft, owned by Victoria Air, crashed into a mountain near Walungu, Democratic Republic of the Congo about 30 minutes after takeoff. All of the 22 passengers and 5 crew members were killed.

June
June 9 - US Airways Flight 1170 and Aer Lingus Flight 132 almost collide on the runway, but all 381 on both planes lived.

July
July 2–3 - Steve Fossett and co-pilot Mark Rebholz recreated the first direct crossing of the Atlantic by the British team of John Alcock and Arthur Whitten-Brown on June 14, 1919 in a Vickers Vimy bi-plane.

July 29 The U.S. Army awards a contract for the purchase of 368 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters (ARH) to Bell Helicopter Textron.

August
August 2 - Air France Flight 358 bursts into flames after skidding off the end of a runway after landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. All 309 people aboard survive.

August 6 - A Tuninter ATR-72 heading from Italy to Tunisia crashes into the Mediterranean Sea, killing 16 of 39 on board.

August 14 - Helios Airways Flight 522 crashes into a mountain north of Marathon and Varnavas, Greece, killing all 121 passengers and crew.

August 16 - West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a charter flight, crashes into the mountains of Venezuela with no survivors.

August 23 - TANS Peru Flight 204 crashes in Peru.

September
September 5 - Mandala Airlines Flight 091 737 crashes in Indonesia killing at least 117.

September 5 - an Antonov An-12BP cargo aircraft (reg 4L-SAS) owned by Transaviaservice of Georgia, operated for Galaxy Kavatsi of DRC, and flying with an expired Georgian license overshoots and burns at Goma DRC while stopping en route to Bukavu. Five crew (two Ukrainians, two Georgians, one Congolese) and three minor passengers (Congolese girls) were killed.

September 6 - a small aircraft near Goma DRC, killing the pilot and injuring passengers[2]

September 9 - an Antonov operated by Air Kasai in the DRC crashes 50 km north of Brazzaville killing 14 including 4 crew on a flight from Buendé to Kinshasa [3]

September 21 - JetBlue Airways Flight 292, an Airbus A320 makes an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after its nose wheels got stuck at a 90 degree angle. All 145 people on board survived.

October
October 6 - A small plane carrying cargo for FedEx, including six vials of research viruses, crashed in downtown Winnipeg. The only woman on board, the pilot, was killed but there were no injuries on the ground.

October 14 - Air Jamaica Express ceased operations.

October 29 - Ghana International Airlines launched with inaugural flight from Accra to London.

November
14 November - Boeing launches 747-8.

December
December 26 - At around 6PM, a Piper Aztec, Registered N444DA, crashed in shallow water off the coast of the island of South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands. Its destination was Providenciales International Airport. All 4 on board (1 pilot 3 passengers) died.

First flights

April
April 27 - The first Airbus A380, registration F-WWOW, makes its maiden flight from Toulouse, France.

June
June 21 - First captive flight of Boeing X-37 under the Scaled Composites White Knight

Entered service

December- F-22 Raptor with the 27th fighter squadron