Korean Air orders 33 A350 family aircraft

Korean Air has signed an order for 33 A350 family aircraft, including 27 A350-1000s and six A350-900s, valued at a total of $13.7 billion. ‘The procurement of the next-generation, eco-friendly A350 is not only aligned with the airlines’ sustainability efforts, but also is seen as a preparation for the integration of Asiana Airlines’, notes Korean Air. The carrier has currently received approvals from 12 of 14 of the competition authorities in a merger programme initiated in 2021. As the largest member of the A350 family, the A350-1000 can accommodate between 350 and 410 passengers in a standard three-class configuration. The use of advanced composite materials results in a reduction in fuel consumption and enabling a range of up to 16,000km with a full payload, the longest flight range among existing passenger aircraft. The slightly smaller A350-900 typically seats between 300-350 passengers and will be deployed by Korean Air on its long-haul routes such as Seoul Incheon-New York, which the airline operates twice daily. During a recent announcement of Korean Air’s upcoming summer season expansion, the flag carrier remained confident that its international available seat kilometres will reach approximately 96% of pre-pandemic levels in 2024, something the new widebody aircraft will be instrumental in continuing to support.