January 17, 2011
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean flag carrier Korean Air said Monday it would take delivery of five Airbus A380 superjumbos this year, with the first flight scheduled for June.
The airline said the A380 service between Incheon International Airport outside Seoul and Tokyo's Narita would start on the morning of June 1, with the plane departing for Hong Kong once it returns from Narita.
It said in a statement the service would be expanded to Bangkok in July once the second aircraft arrives. The third A380 would launch a service to New York from August, and the fourth A380 to Los Angeles in October.
"The introduction of the superjumbo aircraft is expected to increase passengers from China, Japan and East Asia transferring to the US and Europe, accelerating Incheon International Airport's goal of becoming a global aviation hub," it said.
The airline, which placed its first order for the double-decker Airbus planes in 2003, said five of the 10 A380s it has ordered would be delivered by the end of 2011 and the rest by 2014.
South Korea's second biggest carrier Asiana Airlines announced this month it would buy six A380s in a deal worth $1.8 billion, for use on routes to Europe and the United States.
