5. John. F. Kennedy Airport Shutdown

An unprecedented snowstorm hit New York in January, causing major flight cancellations and delays. The type of storm known as a bomb cyclone, caused a four-day ordeal, which cancelled hundreds of flights, and stranded thousands of passengers at John. F. Kennedy International Airport.

4. Southwest Airplane Engine Explodes Midair

An engine exploded on a Southwest Airlines flight in April, breaking a window and killing one passenger. The passenger was reportedly partially sucked out the window, and suffered blunt trauma to her head, neck and torso. 

3. Emirates A380 Quarantined

An Emirates A380 was the subject of a quarantine when over 100 passengers fell ill on the flight into JFK Airport in New York from Dubai.

According to the Centers for Disease Control “approximately 100 passengers, including some crew on the flight, complained of illness,”

The number was later revised by the airline to 19, with 11 passengers taken to hospital.

2.  Horizon Air Q400 Stolen from Seattle

In August, a Horizon ground service agent with no piloting experience stole a Q400 from Seattle Tacoma Airport. The man who stole the plane, 29 year old Richard Russell,  intentionally crashed the plane on an island in Puget Sound approximately 75 minutes after he took off.

1. Lion Air 737 Crashes Minutes after Takeoff

The worst airline crash of 2018 occurred in October when a Lion Air 737 crashed off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia. The fully loaded flight with 189 people on board crashed due to a false reading from the stall recovery system, causing the plane to nosedive. All 189 people on board died in the crash.