According to FlightGlobal, the CEO of Korean Airs has announced plans for the airline's entire four-engine fleet to be retired. The planes still have some life, which is a positive, unlike other airlines.
Korean Air will retire its Airbus A380 fleet within five years
Korean Air plans to retire its Airbus A380 fleet in five years. This means that we shouldn't expect the planes to be around after 2026. The merger of Korean Air and Asiana will have implications for both airlines' fleets, as both companies operate A380s.
Korean Air owns a fleet 10 Airbus A380s that are on average 9.2 years old
Asiana owns six Airbus A380s that are on average 6.3 years old.
The planes were delivered between 2011 and 2016. They would be around 10-15 years old when they retire in 2026. The positive side is that the A380s of Korean Airs will last longer than those of Etihad Airways and Lufthansa as well as the A380s of Thai Airways, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines and Air France.
Korean Air and Asiana have both grounded all their A380s due to the pandemic. One has to wonder how much flying they still have in them. As of right now, the demand recovery in Asia has been very slow, so it is hard to imagine that there will be a lot of demand for these birds over the next months.
A380s will be retired by Asiana & Korean Air in five years
Korean Air will retire Boeing 747-8s in 10 years
The Boeing 747 will continue to be the Queen of the Skys (as long as there are any). Korean Air, along with Air China, Lufthansa, is the only airline that flies the Boeing 7747-8, the latest generation of the plane.
Korean Air plans to retire its Boeing 7477-8 fleet in 10 years. This means that we shouldn't expect them to be around after 2031. The A380s will be retiring in 2026. Korean Air's new flagship aircraft, the 747-8, will replace them for five years. This is a good decision, considering the A380's superior onboard product.
Korean Air owns a fleet consisting of nine 747-8s. These planes were purchased by the airline between 2012 and 2017. Some of these planes could therefore be almost 20 years old by 2031.
Korean Airs' beautiful 747-8 First Class Cabin
Korean Air's first class at the end?
Although we are still a long way from seeing this happen, it does seem like Korean Air could one day eliminate first class.
Korean Air has almost eliminated first class on all its planes except the A380/747-8. In the past, the airline had first on many 777s and 787s. But that is now being sold as business Class.
Korean Air does not have any other large, flagship aircraft in order. It is likely that it will see a first-class product.
The 747-8 was still in service for a decade, so Korean Air could order something similar to the 777X in that time frame.
However, it is worth noting that Korean Air does not plan to produce any first-class products in ten years.
Korean Airs A380 First Class Cabin
Bottom line
Korean Air will retire its A380 fleet in five years (by 2030) and its 747 fleet in ten years (2031), marking the end to four-engine service. This news has mixed emotions. While I am happy that Korean Air isn't planning to retire any type of fleet immediately (as we've seen at other airlines), it is also disappointing to think about the possibility of Korean Air retiring these two amazing planes.
There are many things that could change over the next decade. I'm curious to see what happens.
What do you think of the Korean Airs quad-jet update?
(Tip of a hat to SINJim
