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Events
January
- January 8 - the Airbus A300 is certified, becoming the first wide body airliner with cockpit accommodations for only two to be certified.
- January 10 - a Gulfstream III, Spirit of America, flies around the world in just 43 hours 39 minutes and 6 seconds, becoming the fastest business jet to fly around the world.
- January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90, crashed into frozen Potomac River
- January 22 - a F/A-18 Hornet makes a fully automated landing, its autopilot linked to a ground radar at the Naval Air Test Center Patuxent River
- January 23 – World Airways Flight 30, landed long at Boston, Massachusetts, two missing presumed dead.
- January 27 - Cessna delivers its 1,000th business jet
February
- February 3 - The Mil Mi-26 helicopter lifts a load weighing 57 metric tons to 2,000 metres (6,500 ft) to break a world record for a helicopter.
- February 6 - Freddie Laker's Laker Airways flies for the last time.
- February 9 - a Japan Airlines Douglas DC-8 crashes in Tokyo, killing 24 of the 174 passengers on board. The probable cause of the accident was cited as a possible breakdown by captain Seiji Katagiri, who had mental problems. Every airline pilot must now undergo mental testing as well as physical testing.
- February 25 - American Airlines announces it will cancel its orders for 15 Boeing 757s.
April
- April 1 - Air France flies the Concorde over to Rio de Janeiro and Caracas, Venezuela for the last time.
- April 2 - Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.
- April 5 - Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible sail for the Falkland Islands
- April 26 - CAAC Trident 2E crashed into a mountain while on approach to Guilin, killing all 112 people on board
May
- May 1 - American Airlines launches AAdvantage, the first frequent flyer program in history. United Airlines launches its own program, Mileage Plus, only a week later.
- May 13 - Braniff International Airways' president Howard D. Putnam announces the airline has filed for protection under bankruptcy laws, and the airline's fleet of 71 aircraft is grounded.
- May 18 - American Airlines' 1 millionth passenger is flown.
- May 24 - The last service by a British Airways Boeing 707, from Cairo, Egypt to London, is performed.
June
- June 8 - VASP Boeing 727 crashed into a hillside in Brazil, killing all 137 on board
- June 14 - Argentinan forces surrender to British forces on the Falkland Islands. During their war, the British had destroyed 109 Argentinian planes, compared to only 34 lost by the British.
- June 23 – British Airways Flight 9, flew through cloud of volcanic dust south of Java; all engines failed. Was able to restart engines and make safe landing.
July
- July 9 - a Pan Am Boeing 727 crashes while en route from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to New Orleans, killing 137 passengers plus people on the ground. The sole survivor of the crash is a baby girl in a house.
September
- September 13 - Spantax Flight 995, crashed after an aborted takeoff in Málaga, Spain; this DC-10 overshot the runway, crossed a four lane highway and killed three people in vehicles, and burst into flames in a field. Fifty people died.
- September 30 - H Ross Perot Jr. and J.W. Coburn make history by landing their Bell LongRanger II helicopter in Dallas, Texas 29 days, 3 hours, and 8 minutes after taking off. It is the first time a trip around the world is completed by helicopter.
October
- October 28 - The last Air France Boeing 707 service, from Tunis to Paris.
- The final Douglas DC-9 was delivered.
November
- November 4 - Pan Am inaugurates service from Los Angeles to Sydney; at 7,487 non-stop miles (11,979 km), it is the longest non-stop flight in the world.
First flights
February
- February 19 - Boeing 757 N757BA
April
June
- June 12 - IAR-825 YR-IGB
- June 14 - Beechcraft Lightning
August
- August 30 - F-20 Tigershark 82-0062
'September
- September 20 - HAL Ajeet E2426
November
December
- December 23 - Shorts Sherpa G-BKMW
- December 26 - Antonov An-124
Entered service
February
- Dornier 228 with AS Norving
December
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