World Aviation in 1990

11 January
The three-engined MD11 airliner is rolled out at the McDonnell Douglas Long Beach factory.

22 May
The final flight of the Lockheed F104 Starfighter in Luftwaffe service, before the aircraft is withdrawn from service.

29 June
The Canadian aerospace company Bombardier takes over the manufacture of the Learjet from Integrated Resources of the USA.

23 August
The first of two new Air Force Ones, VIP variants of the Boeing 747-200, for the use of the United States President and his staff, are delivered.

27 September
United Airlines becomes the first commercial operator to use satcoms (satellite data communications) on a flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong.

2 October
A highjacked Boeing 737 collides with two airliners on the ground at White Cloud Airport in Canton, killing 127 passengers.

10 October
France’s Aérospatiale opens its 130 acre ‘Clément Ader’ factory in Toulouse for the manufacture of the Airbus.

31 October
Deregulation of Australian airlines allows operators to choose their own routes and set passenger fares.

4-10 December
The first paying passenger in space, Japanese television journalist Toyohiro Akiyama, for whom TBS Television paid $37 million to accompany Soviet crew of Soyuz TM II spacecraft.

7 December
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-200 takes-off in thick fog at Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, to make the lowest visibility take-off of a scheduled commercial jet airliner in United States aviation history.

12 December
The Boeing Vertol/Bell Helicopter Textron V22 Osprey tilt-rotor technology aircraft completes its sea trials with the United States Navy (USN).

31 December
The build-up of Coalition airpower in Saudi Arabia continues in preparation for strikes against Iraq following the invasion of Kuwait.