29 December 2010, SEOUL, South Korea- Ranked by Business Traveller the best Asian airline for the fourth consecutive year and best transpacific business class for the fifth straight year, Korean Air will launch its first A380 service in May 2011 with the entire upper deck of the aircraft devoted to business class flyers.
Korean Air, with a fleet of 132 aircraft, is one of the world’s top 20 airlines, and operates almost 400 passenger flights per day to 114 cities in 39 countries. It is a founding member of the Sky Team alliance, together with its 13 members, which offers its 395 million annual passengers a worldwide system of more than 13, 000 daily flights covering 898 destinations in 169 countries.
The unique configuration of the two-story A380 aircraft will allow Korean Air business flyers “to feel exclusivity like they’re traveling in their own private jet, ” says Senior Vice President and head of the Passenger Business Division of Korean Air Walter Cho. He added “this innovative approach to dedicate an entire floor for a single class will be benchmarked by other airlines.”
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Korean Air’s business seating, called Prestige Class, will have 94 lie-flat sleepers with 188cm (74inch) between seats and extra large seat partitions offering what Cho says is “normally the comfort and privacy reserved for First Class passengers on other airlines.”
He says that Korean Air’s A380 is “one of the most spacious in the industry when you consider that our economy class seats are spaced at 86cm (34inch) apart and our Prestige Class pitch is 188cm (74inch). That’s a comfort level that will provide us with a competitive edge.”
The airline’s A380 will have a total of only 407 seats: 12 first class and 301 economy class seats on the first level, and the 94 Prestige Class seats on the upper deck. It is the first airline to devote the entire A380 second level to the business flyer.
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Korean Air has ordered ten A380 aircraft with the first five to be delivered by the end of 2011 and an additional five by 2014.
The airline will launch its A380s on short haul routes to Japan and East Asia in May, and then expand to Korean Air’s U.S. and European routes in August 2011.The carrier’s plans for its Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8I fleets were confirmed by chief executive Walter Cho in an interview with .
“The A380s will be leaving Korean Air’s fleet within five years, and the Boeing 747-8I fleet will also follow suit within ten years, ” says Cho.
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According to Korean’s second quarter results presentation, it has 10 A380s and 10 747-8Is. The presentation also shows that the 747-400 is no longer a part of Korean’s operational fleet.
Cirium fleets data suggests that nine of the A380s and eight of the 747-8Is are in storage. The average age of the A380s is 9.3 years, while that of the 747-8Is is 5.2 years.
Korean will also inherit six Asiana Airlines A380s when its acquisition of the rival airline is completed, likely in a few years. Korean’s A380s are powered by the Engine Alliance GP7200, while Asiana’s are powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 900. All six of Asiana’s A380s are in storage.
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As for its other widebodies, Korean operates 26 777-300ERS with an average age of 7.3 years. It also has orders for 10 787-9s (adding to 10 in its current inventory) and 20 787-10s. It has not, however, placed any orders for the developmental 777-9.
“I believe the Boeing 777 is one of the most successful aircraft in aviation history, ” says Cho. “If asked, I would say the B777-300ER is my favourite model. While I haven’t ruled out the Boeing 777X, there are some points that still need verification. I may consider it after that, but I don’t think we’ll have a large demand for new aircraft for some time as we already have a significant number of aircraft in operation or on order.”
Following fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, the type was grounded globally for nearly two years. Although the USA and Europe have lifted their groundings after modifications to the jet’s flight control software, the type remains mostly grounded in the Asia-Pacific.
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“Boeing could have dealt with the situation better, but I trust Boeing’s commitment to its customers including Korean Air. My confidence in the Boeing 737 Max remains the same, and I believe the Max is now one of the safest and most proven aircraft. Although when we ordered the Max, we did not anticipate the Asiana acquisitions. Now [we have] ended up with three different narrow bodies and three different engine types.”
Korean’s existing narrowbody inventory comprises 22 737-800/900s and ten A220s. In addition to the 30 737 Max 8s, it also has orders for 30 A321neos, which will be powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G.
Asiana operates 19 A320 family jets, including four A321neos powered by CFM Leap-1A engines. It has orders for an additional 21 CFM-powered A321neos.
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