The Best New Airliners to Fly in 2023

There are some really interesting new airlines and aircraft types that we think would be great to try out this year.

You might argue that airliners all look much the same from the inside, so why make the effort to fly on a particular airline or type?

That may be so, but there’s something really cool about flying on a brand new airline or aircraft type, seeing it close up in person, and experiencing that airline’s onboard product (alright, a low-cost carrier may not offer anything special on board).

So here are some of the best new airliners to fly on in 2023

ITA Airways A350

Italy’s new national carrier has a huge mountain to climb, but has already been impressing the aviation industry with its cautious-yet-optimistic approach to developing its route network and fleet.

Already flying the Airbus A350 on its growing long-haul network, the airline and its smart blue livery hopes to attract more customers and enter profitability over the coming year.

Air Premia 787

This new South Korean airline hopes to challenge the big carriers on important routes across the Atlantic and within the Far East.

It has already started flying and is using smart new Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

China Eastern Comac C919

Its Chinese manufacturers may think this new airliner is a world beater. Critics may disagree. But whatever the truth, the Comac C919 is finally here and has entered service with China Eastern Airlines.

Dubbed as China’s answer to the A320 and 737, this is a smart-looking plane has significant orders from Chinese carriers and may be able to prove the critics wrong.

Lufthansa 787

Ankunft erster Boeing 787 Dreamliner Lufthansa in Frankfurt Kennung D_ABPA

German national carrier Lufthansa has added its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft as the latest addition to its fleet.

These aircraft feature the airline’s latest premium class seating and products, and will slowly be deployed on more of the airline’s network as the type replaces older Airbus widebodies.

Etihad Airways A380

Set to make a welcome return in 2023, Etihad Airways is reintroducing its Airbus A380 fleet on high-demand routes like Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow.

Grounded as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, these behemoths feature the highly regarded Residence cabins, which include a private butler service.

Breeze Airways A220

After making a big splash when it first launched, David Neeleman’s Breeze Airways has quietly been growing, and is now taking brand new Airbus A220s to add more routes and eventually replace its older Embraer 190s.

So far little of what Neeleman has touched has gone wrong, so this is one to watch and experience.

Aero Italia 737-800

Another of Italy’s new airlines, Aero Italia has high hopes of challenging the dominance of ITA Airways and low-cost carriers like Ryanair in Italy.

It recently announced a large network of new European routes out of its Florence and Bergamo bases. Could it be a contender to become a major force?

Cape Air Tecnam

Cape Air is a niche airline primarily based in New England, but also with smaller networks elsewhere in the United States.

It provides service to many smaller communities, and recently started adding Tecnam P2012 Traveler aircraft. These versatile little aircraft are rarely found in airline service, so are really interesting to fly.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi

Wizz Air Hungary Ltd., CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The latest outpost of rapidly expanding Wizz Air is Abu Dhabi. The airline is basing its Airbus A321neo aircraft at the Middle East hub and establishing a network of low-cost routes to Europe and parts of Asia.

This could prove a really affordable and interesting way to get to this part of the world at a fraction of the cost of the majors like Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Air Greenland A330neo

Long regarded as one of the most interesting widebody operators in the world, Air Greenland recently took delivery of their first Airbus A330-800.

This aircraft replaces their older A330-200, and is the only widebody type in their fleet.

Flying such a large aircraft into the dramatic and challenging landscape and airports of Greenland is an experience all avgeeks should try.

Which of these would you like to fly? Do you have any plans to fly on a particular airline or type this year?  Leave a comment below!