A Year in Review: FlightAware 2023

2023 was a big year for FlightAware. We watched more flights take to the skies as flight traffic levels rebounded, released new software and products, and shared our love for aviation with the community.

We watched worldwide flights climb closer to 2019 traffic, and United States business aviation continue to remain strong.

Worldwide Commercial Traffic
January 01 - December 15

Flights:
2023: 32,658,057
2022: 27,471,790
2021: 22,033,030
2020: 18,448,761
2019: 34,860,955

Year-over-year change:
2023 vs. 2022: +19%
2023 vs. 2021: +48%
2023 vs. 2020: +77%
2023 vs. 2019: -6%

United States Business Aviation Traffic
January 01 - December 15

Flights:
2023: 4,262,585
2022: 4,427,005
2021: 4,153,655
2020: 2,909,341
2019: 3,592,843

Year-over-year change:
2023 vs. 2022: -4%
2023 vs. 2021: +3%
2023 vs. 2020: +47%
2023 vs. 2019: +19%

We had some notable events this year.

We celebrated our 18th anniversary! FlightAware is dedicated to being Central to Aviation. Whether you're a customer, partner, website user, aviation enthusiast, or contributing to the world’s largest ADS-B network - Thank you for trusting us to be your #1 aviation resource.

In March, we released Neural Network powered predictive models for FlightAware Foresight℠. This cutting-edge technology allows airlines and operators to better handle flight delays and disruptions, empowering them to proactively manage their operations and improve the passenger experience.

In May, we released Arrival Runway predictions for FlightAware Foresight. More accurate arrival runway predictions can enable earlier planning for taxi-in times. That means more time to make adjustments for early or late arrivals, improved operations, and better yet, happy travelers.

In July, we released FlightAware Foresight Labs for everyone to experiment with FlightAware's advance predictive technologies. You can try “What If My Gate Changes” to see our neural-network ETAs change in real time as gates are adjusted, or use “Arrival Runway Predictions” to visualize arrival runway probabilities and accuracy throughout the course of a flight.

In September, we introduced Integrated Flight Maps and Status Solutions. Using FlightAware's suite of informative and interactive web and mobile mapping solutions, you can easily enhance your passengers' pre-flight, on-board, and post-flight experiences.

We also released Flight Alerting enhancements in AeroAPI, giving you greater configuration flexibility so you can obtain precisely the alerts you need.

In October, we released Global for Helicopters, the latest addition to our industry-leading private aviation platform FlightAware Global℠.

We grew our ADS-B network by 12%, welcoming 3,823 hosts and shipping 664 FlightFeeders across the world. Thank you to all our hosts who make what we do possible. 

We loved seeing you at the trade shows we attended!

We may have looked a little different this year, as we are now a part of the Collins Aerospace booth at trade shows. We will continue to be featured in their booths in the coming year.

We continue to share our love for flying.

We participated in the Girls in Aviation events held in Houston and Dallas with the aim of motivating young women to broaden their enthusiasm for the aviation field and delve into the career prospects within both aviation and STEM disciplines. Our team thoroughly enjoyed introducing them to the captivating realm of flight!

One thing never changes: our employees are passionate about aviation.

From all of us at FlightAware, thank you for a great 2023.

We wish you safe holiday travels.