Boeing and Korean Air commence construction of new aviation training facility

By BA Staff

Boeing participated in a groundbreaking ceremony with Incheon and Korean Air for construction of Korea's largest new aviation training facility to be located in Incheon's Free Economic Zone (IFEZ).

The new campus, which is slated to open in 2015, will allow Boeing to expand the scope of its training business in Korea and continue its long-standing training relationship with Korean Air.

The facility, once complete, will house 12 full-flight simulators for pilot training programs supporting Korean Air's flight training needs.
Once the campus is complete, Boeing will relocate its existing training support staff and equipment to the new facility.

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Boeing, Korean Air finalize order for 12 Twin-Aisle Airplanes

By BA Staff

Flag carrier Korean Air has finalised an order on US airframer Boeing, for five 747-8i Intercontinentals and six 777-300ER (Extended Range) jetliners that was originally announced as a commitment during the Paris Air Show earlier in June.

In addition to that commitment, the airline also ordered one additional 787 Dreamliner. The value of the combined order is valued at $3.9 billion at current list prices.

With this order the airline's backlog of 747-8 Intercontinentals and 777-300ERs expands to ten aircraft of each type. The order also increases Korean Air's 787 backlog to 11.

Korean Air is currently the only airline in the world to order both the passenger and freighter variations of the 747-8, the 747-8i and 747-8F. The airline also became the first international carrier to simultaneously operate both the 747-8F and 777F Freighter. The airline, along with German flag carrier Deutsche Lufthansa, are the only two carriers to simultaneously operate both the VLA (very large aircraft) of Boeing and Airbus, the 747-8i and A380-800.

Korean Air's current fleet of operates 90 Boeing passenger airplanes in its fleet; 737s, 747s and 777s.

The airline also operates an all-Boeing cargo fleet of 27 747-400F, 747-8F and 777F freighters. The airline's Aerospace Division is also a key Boeing partner on both the 747-8 and 787 programs, supplying the distinctive raked wing-tips for each model.

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Etihad Airways and Korean Air expand codeshare agreement

By BA Staff

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has expanded its codeshare agreement with Korean Air, South Korea’s largest airline, to include six new destinations.

In the second phase of cooperation, Etihad Airways will place its EY code on Korean Air services from Seoul Incheon to Honolulu, Vancouver and Hong Kong. Korean Air will place its KE code on Etihad Airways’ flights from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg, Muscat and, subject to government approval, Khartoum.

The new arrangements augment the airlines’ existing codeshare services between Abu Dhabi and Seoul Incheon.

Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer James Hogan said the expanded codeshare with Korean Air would enable both airlines to grow their networks in a mutually beneficial way and broaden their appeal to world travellers:

“The three new codeshare destinations enhance Etihad Airways’ business and leisure travel offering to the Asia Pacific and North America. The flights to Honolulu and Vancouver, in particular, will provide convenient one-stop access from Abu Dhabi to these two popular North American destinations. This is a natural development of the codeshare agreement with Korean Air which we signed in July this year, and we look forward to broadening the scope of cooperation even further in the future.” 

Mr Hogan noted that Etihad Airways’ strategy of partnerships with airlines such as Korean Air was helping grow tourism from around the world to its Abu Dhabi home and hub:

 “The introduction of new codeshare routes enables us to rapidly expand our network and drive more leisure and business traffic to and through our Abu Dhabi hub. Last year alone, Etihad Airways carried 10.2 million passengers through Abu Dhabi. Increasing international visitors to Abu Dhabi is key to enabling economic growth in the Emirate and helping realise the Government’s visionary Abu Dhabi 2030 plan. We forecast this trend will continue with the opening of new routes from Asia and North America.”

Etihad Airways and Korean Air have had a successful commercial partnership since August 2009 when the airlines signed a special pro rata agreement and interline partnership. The airlines commenced codeshare operations between Abu Dhabi and Seoul Incheon on July 22, 2013.

Members of Etihad Airways’ Etihad Guest and Korean Air’s SKYPASS loyalty programs enjoy reciprocal benefits. These include lounge access, priority check-in and excess baggage allowances for top tier program members and the ability to earn and burn frequent flyer points on Etihad Airways and Korean Air flights.
 

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Aircraft News: A380 deliveries to Korean Air and Emirates, 787-9 completes engine test

by BA.com staff

We have a three pieces of aircraft related news for you this Friday morning.

7th A380 delivered to Korean Air

Image Credit: Airbus

Seoul-based Korean Air took delivery of its 7th Airbus A380 earlier this week, with Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) 126. The aircraft is registered as HL7621 and left Tolouse on 28th August. Korean Air's A380 are noted for having one of the lowest-density and most premium configurations in the sky with just 407 seats in a 3-class configuration (12F / 94J / 301Y).

36th A380 delivered to Emirates

Dubai-based Emirates has taken delivery of its 36th Airbus A380 yesterday, with a MSN of 132. The aircraft has been registered as A6 - EEK. Interestingly, Emirates fleet of Airbus A380s has now surpassed Lufthansa's fleet of Boeing 747s as the world's second largest fleet of double-deck passenger aircraft. Lufthansa now operates 31 Boeing 747s (split as 22x 747-400 and 9x 747-8i), but both carriers still trail behind British Airways' fleet of 55 Boeing 747-400s.

Image Credit: Airbus

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Completes First Engine Test

According to Boeing Commercial Airplanes' official Twitter account (@BoeingAirplanes), Boeing and Rolls Royce successfully performed the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner's first engine test yesterday. The 787-9 Dreamliner will be powered by two Trent 1000 engines each delivering more than 320 kilo-Netwons (kN) of thrust.

Image Credit: Boeing (@BoeingAirplanes)

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Airbus A380 airline-wise seating configurations compared

by Devesh Agarwal

Early next year Qatar Airways will become the eleventh operator of the Airbus A380 super-jumbo. We have researched and produce below an airline-wise A380 seat configuration infographic for comparison. Airbus had original projected the aircraft in a three class 555 seat configuration.

We have also reached some conclusions which are produced below the infographic. Study the infographic and see what conclusions you derive. Compare them with ours, and please post your thoughts and conclusions via a comment.

Airbus A380 seating configuration airline-wise deck-wise (U=Upper, L=Main/Lower), class-wise (CT = class total)

Qatar's CEO Mr. Akbar Al-Bakar has indicated a first class of eight seats and a business class of 52 seats, both on the upper deck. The economy class will have 457 seats, the most by any A380 operator till now.

The main deck (also called the lower deck) will be all economy class, but most likely, there will also be, a small section on the upper deck. The exact configuration has not been revealed as yet, but a study of the Emirates'A380 configuration of the same 517 seats leads us to expect about 30 economy class seats on the upper deck and 427 on the main deck.

With a total configured capacity of 517 seats, Qatar will have the densest A380, second only to Lufthansa which operates its A380s in a 526 seat configuration. However Emirates which also has a 517 seat configured A380 packs seven more economy class passengers on the main deck when compared to Lufthansa to take top spot in the "stuffed" ranking.

Korean Air operates the least dense A380 with 407 seats, just two less than launch operator Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines offers the widest business class seat

The dual configurations of the Singapore Airlines A380 also allows us to derive that for each of its "over the top" ultra-wide 1-2-1 business class seats, the airline loses 3.385 economy class seats. The airline adds 26 business class seats on the upper deck and loses 88 economy class seats. A similar deduction can be derived for Australia based Qantas as well.

The world's largest operator of A380s, Dubai based Emirates airline, sacrifices a full 28 seats to provide crew sleeping accommodation in the rear of the aircraft on its A380s configured for long distance flights (Dubai Australia and Dubai North America). That area is apparently so quiet, that pilots who are accustomed to a hum, are unable to sleep due to the silence. (Read story here).

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Infographic: Airbus delivers 100th A380 superjumbo to Malaysia Airlines

Airbus matching milestones with Boeing, delivered its 100th A380 super-jumbo to national carrier Malaysia Airlines, the airline's sixth aircraft registration 9M-MNF.

Now in its sixth year of commercial service, the A380 is flying with nine world class airlines. To date, the worldwide fleet has carried some 36 million passengers in 100,000 flights.

The delivery to an Asian carrier is subtle in its signals. About 65% of current A380 capacity is to, from, or within the Asia-Pacific region, with more than 50,000 seats offered on nearly 500 flights every week. Europe has about 250 weekly services, and North America, 200.

Overall, A380s regularly operate at more than 30 airports globally on 65 scheduled routes with nine current airlines: Air France, China Southern, Emirates, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways International.

Airbus projects a demand of 1,700 VLA (Very Large Aircraft of 400 seats or more) over the next 20 years. Asia Pacific leads demand at 45%, the Middle East 23% and Europe 19%.

Airbus has also produced a neat little Infographic which is shared below.

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Korean Air Cargo becomes first airline to operate both Boeing freighters - 747-8F and 777F

Korean Air has become the first airline in the world to operate both freighters from the Boeing stable -- the 747-8F and 777F. Three days ago, the national carrier took delivery of the two aircraft at Everett, Washington, USA.

Korea's flagship carrier, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, is also the first Boeing customer to order both the passenger (747-8i) and cargo variants (747-8F) of the new 747-8 airplane. Incidentally, D-ABYA the first 747-8i passenger version, of launch customer and German flag carrier Deutsche Lufthansa, performed its first flight just a few hours ago.

The carrier is expected to operate the 747-8F on its transpacific routes connecting Seoul, Osaka, Tokyo, Los Angeles and San Francisco, while the 777F will be used to operate new routes in Europe including Vienna, Frankfurt and London.

The four engined 747-8 Freighter offers a range of 4,390 nautical miles (8,130 km) and a maximum structural payload capacity of 148 tons (134 tonnes). This is an increase of 4,221 cubic feet (120 m3) and 16% more revenue cargo volume than its predecessor the 747-400 Freighter.

Boeing claims the twin-engine Boeing 777 Freighter to be the most fuel-efficient airplane with leading economic and environmental performance in its category. It has a cargo capacity of 103 metric tons (113 tons) with a range of 9,038 kilometers (4,880 nautical miles).

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MAP: All the routes flown by all airlines operating the Airbus A380

As of date there are seven airlines operating the Airbus A380 superjumbo.

1. Singapore Airlines
2. QANTAS
3. Emirates airline
4. Lufthansa
5. Air France
6. Korean Air Lines
7. China Southern Airlines

This post summarises all the A380 routes operated by these seven operators. See more A380 articles.

The launch operator of the A380 was Singapore Airlines. The newest route is SQ25/SQ26 Singapore - Frankfurt - New York JFK which is the last operated by their Boeing 747-400 Megatop aircraft. In January, this era will come to a close when this flight will be upgraded to an A380.

Australian flag carrier uses A380s primarily on the 'kangaroo run' between Sydney and Melbourne and London, with Singapore as the hub. Its sole north American destination is Los Angeles LAX.

Dubai's Emirates is the largest operator of the A380, and also has the most diverse network covering almost the entire world.

German carrier Lufthansa has been re-jigging its A380 network. It has suspended New York JFK and San Francisco SFO in the current winter schedule citing poor load factors. It has though introduced Frankfurt-Singapore, which will also be operated by Singapore Airlines with an A380. Is there enough traffic to fill two superjumbos every day? Time will tell.

Air France too has been re-jigging its flights. With currently the Paris CDG to San Francisco SFO route being suspended.

Korean Air Line's A380 route network is limited since it is a new operator and has a very limited fleet, but I gave the map an unusual polar view.

China Southern is the newest operator, and also the only airline to use the A380 on domestic flights. However its sole A380 has had teeting problems and the routes are yet to properly launch.

Please keep in mind that airlines keep changing the routes and aircraft deployed.

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz.

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Videos - Assembly and delivery of Korean Air's first Airbus A380 superjumbo

On May 24th, Korean Air took delivery of its first Airbus A380 superjumbo in Toulouse, France.

As a special tribute, the carrier’s first A380 was presented to invited guests by 500 Airbus employees – who carried blue, white and red umbrellas to form Korean Air’s tri-colour logo.

The airline has specified the most extra-spacious layout amongst the six operators of the A380, with accommodation for only 407 passengers in three classes. Special features on board the aircraft include the world's first ever duty free showcase area and a stylish onboard bar and lounge on the upper deck which for premium passengers.


The assembly process

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Jet Airways in talks with Air France-KLM, Delta, and Alitalia. To finally join SkyTeam?

Both Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal are reporting that India's largest carrier Jet Airways is in talks with Air France-KLM, Alitalia and Delta Air Lines Inc. about joining the SkyTeam alliance.

Jet has long practised a policy of bi-lateral and code-share agreements and officially, its management has steadfastly refuted any speculation of carrier joining an alliance, but with Air India finally clearing its hurdles to enter the Star Alliance, and Kingfisher Airlines making progress as a member-elect of oneworld, Jet may not be able resist any longer. A source at Jet Airways said joining an alliance was now "inevitable".

Skyteam will be a good fit for Jet Airways. The Mumbai based carrier already flies to New York JFK, and Milan, major hubs for existing SkyTeam members Delta and Alitalia, in addition to Newark and twice daily to London Heathrow.

How Jet's international expansion fits with SkyTeam. Click on image for a larger view.

With Alitalia, Jet has also forged code-share agreements for onward connections to Europe. Its 2011 expansion includes Seoul Incheon, Amsterdam, and Rome again hubs for Korean Air Lines, KLM, and Alitalia.

While it has been denied permission, for now, by the Indian government to fly to Paris, the hub for Air France, industry insiders know that Jet will obtain the Paris permission soon enough.

Unlike Kingfisher which is a weak entrant and is being forced to compromise in return for entry in to oneworld, Jet will be in a strong negotiating position with SkyTeam. Jet offers a formidable pan-India network in both the full service and low cost segments, and more importantly, Jet fills a crucial void current missing in the Skyteam network, with its good network from the middle east to south-east Asia, which will also connect to existing SkyTeam members like China Southern and Vietnam Airlines and with Garuda Indonesia when it joins the alliance.

A possible demonstration of this strong position can be obtain from Dutch news site luchtvaartnieuws, which is reporting that Jet will move its Brussels hub to Amsterdam and take over one India USA route from KLM.

I have been long espousing that Jet should join SkyTeam sooner rather than later. Do you agree or disagree with my views? Please post a comment. Let's have a discussion.

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Video: Rough landing by Korean Airlines Boeing 777-300ER at Tokyo Narita

Thanks to NYCAviation I found this video of a Korean Airlines Boeing 777-300ER doing a tippy-toe Bollywood gyrating landing at Tokyo's Narita airport.


Also do take the time to visit NYCAviation and see the video of a rather terse and snippy argument between an American Airlines flight and the ATC tower at New York JFK.

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Boeing delivers 25th 777 to Korean Air, first to Guggenheim Aviation Partners

Boeing delivered to Korean Air the carrier's 25th 777, a 777-300ER (Extended Range) registration HL7784. It also marks the first 777 delivered to Guggenheim Aviation Partners who will lease the aircraft to Korean Air.

Guggenheim is scheduled to take delivery of an additional five 777s.

Image courtesy Boeing

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Airbus updates: Emirates A380 MSN017, 500th A321, Korean Air A330 order

A380 MSN017
The 5th A380 for Emirates Airlines, A6-EDE, is on the flight line at Hamburg and expected to be delivered in April. Thanks to the folks at the Hamburg Airport forum, enjoy the picture. Given the slowdown at Singapore Airlines, there is some debate on whether the next A380 out will be MSN026 (Qantas' 4th A380 VH-QQD) or MSN019 (Singapore Airlines' 7th A380 9V-SKG). I suggest following the knowledgeable folks at the A380 production forum.


Airbus delivers 500th A321 MSN3814
Last Friday, Airbus achieved a milestone and delivered the 500th A321 to Air France, who coincidentally received the first A321 delivered in 1994. As of date, Airbus has sold more than 750 A321s to about 65 customers all around the world.

Philippe Durand of Air France (left) and Uwe Schunke, Director Contractual Acceptance at Airbus

Korean Air order for six Airbus A330-200 WV058
Last September, Airbus fired a shot across the bows of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, when it announced a new longer range A330-200. Weight Variant (WV058) A330-200 has a 238 tonne MTOW (Maximum Take Off Weight) providing it a range of 7,200 nm, and thus allowing Airbus a product to take on the first batch of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, till the A350XWB came on line.

Korean Air (KAL) has placed a new firm order with Airbus for six more A330-200 aircraft for the WV058 variant. The 7,200 nm range allows the airline to connect its home base at Incheon to almost all continents in the world non-stop with the exception of South America. KAL will use these new aircraft for medium density non-stop routes to North America and Europe.

The aircraft will be in a three-class cabin layout, and is scheduled for delivery from 2010. The new order increases the total number of A330s ordered by Korean Air to 25, comprising 16 A330-300s and nine A330-200s.

One can speculate plenty, but this appears a preventive measure, and part of an on-going trend, due to the delivery delays on the 787, rather than a cancellation of KAL's 10 787-8 order. With significant vendor involvement in the 787, Korea will not risk economic repercussions a cancellation might bring.

It is possible that the ordered 10 787-8's will get converted to 787-9's, which are expected to commence delivery in 2013, and these will replace the existing KAL A330 fleet, but this is idle speculation for now.

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Airbus A380 crosses 200 planes order mark

Congratulations to Airbus. With the newest order from Korean Air, the order book for the A380 superjumbo has crossed the 200 mark.


Korean Air has placed firm orders with Airbus for two more double-deck A380 superjumbos, bringing the total number of A380s ordered by Korean Air to ten aircraft. The carrier will operate the aircraft in a three-class layout on routes linking Seoul to destinations in North America and Europe, including Los Angeles, New York and Paris.

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