Many of us aviation enthusiasts are big fans of the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747, given that these planes are no longer in production, and won’t be in passenger service for that much longer. Korean Air is one of two airlines in the world to operate both of these jets (the other is Lufthansa).
Up until recently, the carrier’s plan was to retire Airbus A380s by 2026, and retire Boeing 747s by 2031. However, with the carrier’s takeover of Asiana, plus general delays with new aircraft deliveries, it seems like the planes may have a bit more life left in them. Let’s take a look at the latest.
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Korean Air Airbus A380s won’t retire anytime soon
In 2021, Korean Air announced plans to retire its Airbus A380 fleet within five years, which would’ve meant the planes would be retired by 2026. However, that’s no longer the plan. Korean Air is now sending its A380s in for heavy maintenance, and the airline is considering flying these aircraft well into the 2030s.
That being said, Korean Air has already shrunk its A380 fleet, though at the same time, is picking up some additional ones through its acquisition of Asiana. For context:
- Korean Air has a fleet of seven Airbus A380s, which are an average of 12 years old; the airline initially had 10, but three have already been retired
- Asiana has a fleet of six Airbus A380s, which are an average of around 10 years old
So we could eventually see Korean Air flying up to 13 Airbus A380s. However, it’s worth noting that currently only four of Korean Air’s seven A380s are flying, so who actually knows. One would certainly think that there would be continued demand for the A380 on routes from Seoul Incheon to Los Angeles, New York, etc.
I’m also curious to see what exactly Korean Air has planned for Asiana’s A380s. Asiana’s A380s have a first class cabin, but for several years now, these have simply been sold as business class suites. Ironically, Asiana’s A380 business class suite hard product is better than Korean Air’s A380 first class hard product. So will this product again be sold as first class, or…?
Korean Air Boeing 747-8s also sticking around for now
The Boeing 747 will always be the queen of the skies (well, as long as there are any of them flying), and Korean Air is one of only three passenger airlines (along with Air China and Lufthansa) to fly the latest generation of the plane, which is the Boeing 747-8.
In 2021, Korean Air announced that it intends to retire its Boeing 747-8s within 10 years, which would put us into the early 2030s. As you can see, the initial plan was for the Boeing 747-8 to outlive the Airbus A380, and become the carrier’s flagship aircraft. However, with the A380 also sticking around, it seems they might be retired around the same time.
Korean Air initially had a fleet of nine Boeing 747-8s, which the carrier took delivery of between 2012 and 2017. That’s in addition to a plane that’s leased to the Republic of Korea Air Force for VIP transport, and then six cargo Boeing 747-8s.
However, Korean Air has sold five of its Boeing 747-8s (they’ll become “doomsday planes”), meaning the fleet will consist of just four of these aircraft. One wonders if there’s merit to keeping around such a small subfleet, especially since you typically want to have a spare aircraft on hand. I can’t help but think that the A380 might stick around longer than the 747-8, at this point.
Bottom line
Korean Air plans to keep around its Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 fleet a bit longer than planned, due to a combination of strong demand and delivery delays with new aircraft.
While the A380 fleet was supposed to be retired by 2026, it looks like it’ll now stick around through the early 2030s, based on the planes going through heavy maintenance. Meanwhile the 747-8s also aren’t going anywhere, though it’ll be a very small fleet, with just four jets. That’s because five of the nine aircraft have been sold, so are exiting the fleet.
What do you make of Korean Air’s quad jet plans?
I keep picking up rumors that Airbus has reconvened a team to study restarting the A380 program with significantly better engines, composite materials, etc. The really huge constraint heading down the pike is airport landing slot and gate capacity. This reaches breaking point in 5-10 years making an A380 type vehicle the only viable solution. Supply chain whispers resulting from feelers out there ...
Korean Air's A380 business class is appalling.
I wonder if LH would be interested in picking up the -8is as a stopgap while they wait for A350-1000s and 777-9s. That said it wouldn't surprise me to see them stick around, KAL have a large fleet of -8Fs, and as I understand the crew for the freighter and passenger fleet are the same.
I wouldn't be surprised if they plan to keep the cabins as is as lead times for new seats from procurement & acquisition until it gets installed on the a/c can be quite long. By the time new seats get installed, their a/c orders will start rolling out of the factory.
"Ironically, Asiana’s A380 business class suite hard product is better than Korean Air’s A380 first class hard product."
And their regular business class on the A380 (staggered seats in 1-2-1 configuration) is also better than what Korean Air offers on their A380 business class (2-2-2 lie flat).
At least Korean Air's 747 uses the Apex seat, so while it's still 2-2-2, at least everyone has aisle access.
I guess we will wait to see...
"Ironically, Asiana’s A380 business class suite hard product is better than Korean Air’s A380 first class hard product."
And their regular business class on the A380 (staggered seats in 1-2-1 configuration) is also better than what Korean Air offers on their A380 business class (2-2-2 lie flat).
At least Korean Air's 747 uses the Apex seat, so while it's still 2-2-2, at least everyone has aisle access.
I guess we will wait to see what Korean has in store for updating seats on their own planes and on Asiana's planes...if they have any plans, that is.
Anecdotally, KE flew an A380 between ICN and NRT on my last flight with them, it was very bizarre to have a mostly empty plane, even if it is a very busy route, I'm not sure what's the whole point in operating a whole A380 for that 2 hour flight.
"I'm not sure what's the whole point in operating a whole A380 for that 2 hour flight."
I'd say crew training.
Sure wish they would update interiors of the A380. Current business seats are very uncompetitive crossing the pacific.
Congrats to KE for committing to keeping its A380s, including the six OZ ones. It’s not that common to see an airline other than EK openly supporting its A380 fleet for the next decade or more.
BA is the only airline I can think of that did not retire a single A380 (well, other than ANA), so it’s good to see the only major Northeast Asian operator keep it flying. And the 747-8 being kept...
Congrats to KE for committing to keeping its A380s, including the six OZ ones. It’s not that common to see an airline other than EK openly supporting its A380 fleet for the next decade or more.
BA is the only airline I can think of that did not retire a single A380 (well, other than ANA), so it’s good to see the only major Northeast Asian operator keep it flying. And the 747-8 being kept around is, as always, a joy. Looking forward to seeing A380s, A350s, 787s and 747s in the post-merger new livery — those old A330s and 777s deserve a well-earned retirement!
I honestly think the remaining A380 operators bar QR EY and maybe LH and QF will be interested in another VLA by the 2040s or so. Air travel demand is increasing, and airport expansion is getting less and less politically popular.
I would expect something between the 777-9 and 747-8i in size
Just my 2 cents, but if the A380s are sticking around, I would think the KE frames will stay while the OZ frames get retired as it'll be much simpler to operate with one engine type from a maintenance and operation standpoint.
Asiana's 777s and A330s can easily integrate into Korean's fleet as they operate the same engines for their respective types. Just get the cabin new seats from tip-to-tail. They're still perfectly capable especially...
Just my 2 cents, but if the A380s are sticking around, I would think the KE frames will stay while the OZ frames get retired as it'll be much simpler to operate with one engine type from a maintenance and operation standpoint.
Asiana's 777s and A330s can easily integrate into Korean's fleet as they operate the same engines for their respective types. Just get the cabin new seats from tip-to-tail. They're still perfectly capable especially for low-yield destinations as it really doesn't make sense anymore to deploy them on longer legs with the addition of A350s and 787s. In the same vein, KE can start getting rid of their oldest A330s as well as their 772s and 773s.
They could try and sell a few if not most of the A380's to BA - which seems to be suffering with their current A380 fleet.
Hopefully if they are going to stay in the fleet and used, they had better have plans to upgrade the cabins as it's already showing it's age and very dated with all the latest evolution of seats.
Who was the last airline to update their A380s? Emirates? Has anyone else done any updates in the recent past? A rather neglected airframe :(
Emirates A380s are looking pretty tired if my flight to Cairo was anything to go by. The BA Super Hi-J 744s and Lufthansa A343s were honestly in better shape despite being twice as old. Honestly EKs three weak points are the airport experience at DXB, their J seats, and their cabin maintenance.