On 23 July 2026, aviation hit a new milestone.
Flightradar24 tracked 153,359 commercial flights in a single day — the busiest commercial day it has ever recorded — and 287,364 total flights worldwide. That represents a 5.9% year-on-year increase in commercial flights compared with the same weekday in 2025.
It is a striking snapshot of where aviation is heading: more aircraft, more movements, more complexity, and greater pressure on the people, systems and organisations that keep aviation safe.
As the International Federation of Airworthiness (IFA) marks its 50th anniversary, it has launched an industry-wide survey to identify the most critical challenges facing airworthiness, safety and engineering capability over the coming decade.
With global air travel forecast to more than double, aircraft fleets expected to expand significantly, and the industry requiring around 710,000 new maintenance technicians worldwide, the need for coordinated action has never been clearer.
The survey invites views from across the aviation and aerospace community, including airlines, manufacturers, regulators, maintenance organisations, design organisations, academia and technology providers.
Its findings will help shape discussions at the IFA Airworthiness Summit in September 2026, where senior industry leaders will focus on practical priorities, ownership and delivery.
This is an opportunity to move beyond discussion and help define the actions needed to support safe, resilient and effective aviation systems for the future.
Please take part:
Survey link: https://survey.zohopublic.eu/zs/psC6dW
Closing date: 16 August 2026
*Photo Credit Flightradar24
