Korean Air Gets Its First Dreamliner

A few days ago Korean Air celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first Dreamliner. The Seoul-based carrier will be the first Korean carrier to operate the 787-9 Dreamliner in the country. The airline is scheduled to launch domestic flights to Jeju from Seoul (Gimpo) for a month as part of the required certification period, before launching long-haul international routes to Toronto, Madrid, and Zurich later this year.  This is a big upgrade for the Toronto to Seoul flight which currently features a B777 with only angled-flat seats in business.

“The 787 Dreamliner will be a key member of Korean Air’s fleet as we continue to introduce next-generation airplanes to our customers,” said Walter Cho, president of Korean Air. “The aircraft is fuel efficient, quiet, has lower operating costs and is spacious and very elegant.  The cabin features are impressive and will ensure maximum comfort for Korean Air’s passengers.”

Korean Air is scheduled to introduce five 787-9 Dreamliners to its fleet this year with another five joining the fleet by 2019.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is the second member of the  787 family.  At 20 feet (6 meters) longer than the 787-8, the 787-9 extends the family in capacity and range, flying more passengers and more cargo farther.  And it looks like the internal configuration Korean Air settled on will be a winner. We’ll have a full review as soon as possible.

Korean Air is a solid choice to Asia with a fleet of 175 aircraft and more than 460 flights per day to 132 cities in 46 countries. It is a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance so Delta members should pay particular attention.