To Improve Competitiveness on Long-haul Routes
Korean Air Lines Co. is investing a total of 11.50 trillion won (US$9.77 billion) to introduce 30 Boeing 787 planes. It marks the first major contract signed by Korean Air head Cho Won-tae since he was officially designated as Hanjin Group chairman.
Korean Air will buy 20 Boeing 787-10 airplanes and 10 Boeing 787-9 jets. The contract, signed during the Paris Air Show at the Paris–Le Bourget Airport, France, on June 18 (local time), is aimed at improving the airline’s competitiveness on medium- and long-haul routes.
Korean Air will add 30 new 787 Dreamliner airplanes to its fleet, with a commitment to purchase 20 aircraft valued at 7.50 trillion won (US$6.37 billion). The airline will also lease 10 787-10s from Air Lease Corp. (ALC). The total amount of money involved was estimated at 11.5 trillion won (US$9.77 billion).
Korean Air is planning to introduce 30 Boeing 787 airplanes to modernize its fleet. The Boeing 787-10 is the largest model among the Boing 787 series. The length of the body is 68 meters, up 5 meters from the Boeing 787-9. Accordingly, the aircraft can carry 15 percent more passengers and freight than the Boeing 787-9 and has 40 more seats for passengers. The airline will introduce Boeing 787-9s starting from 2020 and Boeing 787-10s from 2021.