Korean Air A380s will be retired in the next 5 years
Korean Air, the national airline of South Korea, has revealed its planned plans for the coming years and [...]
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Korean Air, the national airline of South Korea, has revealed its planned plans for the coming years and is set to say goodbye to its entire four-engine fleet, joining the growing list of airlines planning to retire the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747-8.
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Korean Air's choice for Airbus A380s
Specifically, Korean Air plans to retire its Airbus A380 fleet within five years. Thus, no new planes are planned until 2026. A decision the result of the merger of the company with Asiana because they both operate A380s. Korean Air has a fleet of 10 Airbus A380s, who have an average of 9.2 years, while Asiana has 6, who have an average of 6.3 years.
The retirement affects not only the ten A380s owned by Korean Air, but also the six obtained in the $2.2 billion acquisitions of rival Asiana Airlines. Asiana's A380 fleet will be merged with Korean Air's by 2024, but the superjumbos will be retired within two years. Despite the retirement, the fleet will outlive those of the A380 from Air France, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines and Thai Airways.
Within 10 years, goodbye to Boeing 747-8s
In addition to the Airbus A380s, there are also plans to retire the Boeing 747-8 within 10 years. It is one of only three passenger airlines (along with Air China and Lufthansa) to fly the latest generation of Queen of Skies. The goal is to decommission the entire fleet of Queens of Skies by no later than 2031. In the end, however, these are two pieces of good news for enthusiasts. The two mega planes will start flying again unlike those who have decided to say goodbye to the four-engine era.
The company's future will be dominated by twin-engine jets such as the Boeing 777-300ER and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with the possibility of the Boeing 777-9 joining the family. "I think the Boeing 777 is one of the most successful aircraft in aviation history," said Cho, CEO of Korean Air. "I would say the B777-300ER is my favorite model. I think we won't have a big demand for new aircraft for a while because we already have a significant number of aircraft in operation or on order."
