Korean Air welcomes 1st A350s
Korean Air took delivery of its first pair of Airbus A350-900s on 27 and 30 December 2024. The aircraft (HL8597, c/n 681 and HL8598 c/n 689) were ferried from Toulouse-Blagnac to Busan. The aircraft were delivered painted white with no titles or livery, ready to become the first in the fleet to receive the new corporate identity that the airline plans to launch after it completes its acquisition of Asiana Airlines.
Asiana Airlines had open orders for fifteen A350-900s, while Korean Air ordered six A350-900s, and 27 A350-1000s in March 2024.
Korean Air was the third customer to order the newly-established Airbus Industries’ original A300B4, ordering six aircraft on 5 September 1974. This made it the first Airbus customer from outside Europe.
The first Korean Air A300B4 was delivered to the airline on 1 August 1975, and since then the Asian giant has operated almost every Airbus type, including the A300B4, A300F4, A300-600R, A330-200, A330-300, A380, A220-300, and most recently the latest generation single aisle A321neo. Altogether, Korean Air has ordered 165 aircraft from Airbus, with 71 on order for future delivery. These include 39 more single aisle A321neo aircraft and 33 long range A350s.
Korean Air’s Aerospace Business Division (KAL-ASD) has been a key supplier to Airbus since 1989. Today, KAL-ASD produces composite cargo doors for the A350, fuel-saving Sharklet wingtip devices for the A320 Family and the latest generation A330neo, as well as fuselage skin panels for the A330.
Walter Cho, Korean Air Chairman and CEO said in March that: “Our half-century journey with Airbus is a testament to the power of collaboration in the aviation industry. As a first customer outside Europe, we took a bold step that helped establish Airbus as a global leader in aviation. In turn, Airbus has consistently provided us with cutting-edge aircraft that have been instrumental in our evolution into a leading global airline. From the first A300 to our recent order of the A350, we’ve consistently chosen Airbus as a partner in our mission to connect the world.”
