Today marks the first day of a new decade, hopefully, it is another decade of renewed prosperity and even better aircraft! However, the past decade also had some of the best aircraft! So, what exactly are the best aircraft of the 2010’s?
The 2010’s saw some of the best aircraft, both entering and exiting service. The 2010’s saw, not only some of the best commercial aircraft, but also some of the best private and business jets to date!
Best commercial aircraft of the 2010’s
The 2010’s saw aircraft such as the Tu-154 and MD-80 to be removed out of service, whilst also introducing some of the best commercial aircraft!
A220
The A220 is actually the Bombardier CSeries aircraft. It was redesignated the A220 after Airbus acquired a majority stake (50.1% plus one share) in Bombardier, due to President Trump’s trade tariffs.
The A220’s first flight took place on the 16 September 2013. Bombardier (and then Airbus) marketed the aircraft as one of the most efficient regional jets. Due to this, many large airlines placed orders for fleets of the aircraft, for short-haul or domestic routes. They chose this aircraft over the standard 737 that had been the mainstay of short haul travel for decades!
The main airlines that operate the A220 are: Air France-KLM, Delta Airlines, jetBlue and Air Canada.
A350
The A350 is meant to be Airbus’ new flagship, replacing the A380, and is meant to be Airbus’ answer to Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
The A350’s first flight was on 14 June 2013. It was heavily marketed by Airbus as a more efficient and environmentally-friendly version of its A380. Many airlines bought the aircraft, such as Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, who are all primary users of the aircraft.
B777X
Boeing too is beginning to realize that the Hub and Spoke theory is loosing its weight. In March 2013, Boeing unveiled their brand new Boeing 777X, an update on their 777 family.
The Boeing 777X is meant to be Boeing’s answer to the Airbus A330-900Neo. Boeing markets the 777X as a better alternative to airlines looking to order the A330-900neo. Boeing claims that as teh aircraft is much bigger than the A330, it is a better alternative, and there has even been some speculation that the 777X will be more efficient than the A330.
Many people speculate that the 777X could be one of the3 best aircraft of the 2010’s, we merely have to wait until more are delivered to find out!
The 777X will be operated by: Emirates, ANA, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airways
Best business aircraft of the 2010’s
Some of the best business aircraft entered service during the past decade, but the past decade also saw many beloved business jets be pulled from service.
G650ER
The G650ER is by far one of my favorite Gulfstream aircraft! The G650ER is the extended range version of the G650. The G650ER was introduced by Gulfstream in 2014, to complement the standard G650 variant.
It is generally considered to be one of the best business aircraft of the 2010’s, as it is repeatedly nominated awards for efficiency, design, comfort and advancements in business jet technology.
Many celebrities own a G650, including Howard Schultz, Elon Musk and Laurene Powell Jobs!
G700
The G700 is Gulfstream’s newest aircraft, and is meant to replace the G650 as Gulfstream’s flagship aircraft!
In October 2019, at the NBAA, Gulfstream announced the development of its newest aircraft. It is expected that the G700 will be the best of both worlds- both a larger and more efficient aircraft than the G650, but also incorporating the elements of the G650 that customers liked the most!
Currently, many companies have orders for the G700, who plan to deliver the aircraft in 2023: Qatar Executive and Flexjet are the two companies that have publicly announced their purchase of the aircraft!
Global 7500
Bombardier’s answer to both the G650ER and the G700 is the Global 7500. The Global 7500 will be the flagship of Bombardier until the Global 8000 is completed, and enters service.
Bombardier announced a new business jet in October 2010, one to be a larger, more efficient an comfier version of the Global 6500. The design of the Global 7500 was chosen, and began to be manufactured (after a two year delay due to a wing redesign). The Global 7500 entered into service on 20 December 2018.
The Global 7500 has repeatedly been named one of the best aircraft of the 2010’s due to the fact that it is one of the mot reliable aircraft in the industry (safety wise).
The Global 7500 is currently owned by a number of high-value celebrities, including: Niki Lauda, Triumph Group, Inc. London Air Services and Comlux to name a few.
Best private aircraft of the 2010’s
Private aircraft are some of the best aircraft of the 2010’s, these are aircraft who’s sole purpose is to be flown around by someone who holds a PPL (Private Pilot’s License), rather than to fly passengers or businessmen.
Cirrus SF-50
The Cirrus SF-50 is one of the best private aircraft of the 2010’s thanks to its design. It was built by pilots, for pilots. Many pilots have congratulated Cirrus for making an awesome private jet that they can actually use!
In the late naughty’s Cirrus began work on a new private aircraft for delivery in the mid-2010’s. In 2012, the SF-50 took flight for the first time, and by 2013, 276 aircraft had been delivered.
There are no high-valued celebrities who own or fly the SF-50, due to the fact that the aircraft is aimed at regular people (and by regular people we mean people who can afford the $2 million price tag!)
HondaJet HA420
The HondaJet was originally supposed to be introduced before the turn of the decade, but this was not so. The first HondaJets were delivered in late 2012, after almost two years of production delays had caused many to abandon their orders.
Despite this, many pilots who took ownership of the aircraft found it to be one of the best aircraft of the 2010’s, and even in all of history. There were a few issues, in the fact that it took until 2019 to have it fully certified all over the world, but due to it being a VLJ, international travel wasn’t a main issue with the HondaJet.
Just like the SF-50, there are many owners of the HondaJet, many of whom will say that the HondaJet is one of the best aircraft of the 2010’s, but again no celebrities.
Eclipse 550
Eclipse Aerospace is one of the least-known aircraft manufacturers. Yet, they arguably make one of the bets aircraft of the 2010’s. The Eclipse 550 serves the exact same purpose as the HondaJet and SF-50 do- to allow pilots to get the most out of their PPL.
At 2011’s NBAA, Eclipse announced that they would be developing their Eclipse 500 aircraft into a newer aircraft. The first Eclipse 550 rolled off the assembly line in March 2013, and deliveries began to be made in October of that year.
Just like the HondaJet and Sf-50, there are thousands of Eclipse 550 owners, most of whom would agree that the Eclipse 550 is by far one of the best aircraft of the 2010’s, but again, there are no celebrities who own the Eclipse 550.
One of the saddest parts about the Eclipse 550 is that not only did the 2010’s see its first production, but also its last. This is due to Eclipse’s merger with One Aviation.
Which is your favorite aircraft of the 2010’s? Do you think that there are any aircraft that we need to watch out for in the 2020’s? Tell us in the comments!