Korean Air’s Boeing 747 fleet will soon shrink, which is a shame for those of us who love the plane…
Korean Air getting rid of five Boeing 747-8s in 2025
As reported by Reuters, Korean Air has reached an agreement to sell five of its Boeing 747-8s, and the planes are expected to exit the fleet as of September 2025. According to a regulatory filing, the sale is valued at $674 million (so around $135 million per plane), and is part of the carrier’s strategy of refreshing its fleet with newer generation aircraft.
For context, Korean Air has just nine passenger Boeing 747-8s in its fleet — there’s an additional jet leased to the Republic of Korea Air Force for VIP transport, and then six cargo Boeing 747-8s. So this means that Korean Air’s Boeing 747-8 fleet will shrink from nine aircraft to four aircraft at most. Korean Air’s jumbo jets are an average of just over eight years old.
Korean Air is one of only three airlines in the world to fly the passenger version of the Boeing 747-8. Lufthansa has the largest 747-8 fleet, with 19 of these aircraft, while Air China has seven of these aircraft.
I’m curious if the airline plans to keep around a subfleet of just four Boeing 747-8s, or if the sale of five jets causes Korean Air to retire the remaining ones as well. Korean Air is one of only two airlines to fly both the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8.
In 2021, Korean Air’s CEO stated that the A380 would be retired within five years (so by 2026), while the 747-8 would be retired within 10 years (so by 2031). Of course these kinds of plans constantly change, and I wonder what the latest is on that. If Korean Air sells over half of its 747-8 fleet, could we see the A380 stick around longer, especially with delivery delays of other jets? Only time will tell…
What will happen to former Korean Air Boeing 747-8s?
Demand for secondhand four engine aircraft is limited nowadays, and often these planes are just scrapped and used for parts. So what’s the plan for the five Korean Air Boeing 747-8s that have been purchased? Well, the planes have been sold to US aerospace firm Sierra Nevada Corporation.
Sierra Nevada was awarded a $13 billion US Air Force contract to develop an updated version of the E-4B Nightwatch, which is known as the “Doomsday plane,” given its ability to survive a nuclear war and act as a command and control center during emergencies.
The four current E-4Bs have been flying since the 1970s, and are modified versions of the Boeing 747-200. So clearly the US Air Force feels it’s time for an update, and using converted Boeing 747-8s is the best option.
Bottom line
Korean Air is selling five of its Boeing 747-8s to US aerospace firm Sierra Nevada Corporation, as they’ll become the new “Doomsday planes” for the US Air Force. The planes should leave Korean Air’s fleet as of September 2025, and at that point Korean Air will be down to just four Boeing 747-8s. I’m curious what that means for the future of Korean Air’s Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 fleet.
What do you make of Korean Air selling five Boeing 747-8s?
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.