Summary

  • The UK again has passenger Boeing 747 flights.
  • Korean Air’s London Heathrow service has changed from the 777-300ER to the 747-8i, increasing capacity by a third.
  • Elsewhere in Europe, only Paris CDG will see the airline’s passenger 747s in the peak summer – and only once.

It took a while, but that doesn’t matter. On June 26, the day I wrote this article, the UK regained its only scheduled passenger Boeing 747 service. This is because of Korean Air, whose London Heathrow operation has switched to the 747-8i (hereafter the 747-8) during the summer. While the country has dedicated 747 freighter flights from various carriers, its last passenger jumbo service was in 2020.

Korean Air: the 747-8 to Heathrow

The SkyTeam member operates a daily passenger service from Seoul Incheon to Heathrow. Additionally, it frequently operates a dedicated freighter on the route, usually the 77F but also, at times, the 747-8F.

Until June 25, it deployed the 277-seat 777-300ER to the UK’s busiest airport. That changed on June 26, when the 368-seat 747-8 took over, providing 91 additional seats per departure (+33%) to capitalize on peak demand. The 777-300ER will return on October 27, when northern airlines, including Korean Air, switch to winter schedules based on IATA slot seasons.

KE 747-8i at Heathrow

The first UK-bound flight deployed eight-year-old HL7637, shown above at Heathrow in 2017. The aircraft was delivered to Korean Air in June 2016. It has six first-class suites (fewer than on the 777-300ER), 48 business seats, and 314 economy seats.

It is more economy-heavy than the 777 it replaces: some 85% of the capacity is in that class, up by three percentage points compared to the Triple 7.

What’s the schedule?

It runs as follows in June, with all times local. Korean Air avoids Russian airspace, with its Heathrow flights covering approximately 20% more distance than they did. This means longer block and flight times, increased fuel burn, higher en-route navigation charges, and more emissions.

  • Seoul Incheon to Heathrow: KE907, 10:50-17:20 (14h 30m block)
  • Heathrow to Seoul Incheon: KE908, 19:35-16:15+1 (12h 40m)
ICN-LHR

Flightradar24 shows that HL7637 arrived in South Korea from Singapore at 05:56 before being cleaned, refueled, and the rest, and flown to Europe. The aircraft has spent the past few days flying between Seoul and Singapore. However, from July on, the route will not see the 747-8, enabling it to fly to the UK.

Where they are flying

Korean Air has eight 747-8s in a passenger configuration. Like many airlines globally, its last passenger 747-400 flight was in 2020. According to Cirium data, it has five 747-8 routes between July and September:

Related

Quadjet Heaven: Airports With Passenger Flights On The Airbus A340, A380 & Boeing 747

Which airports do you think will see all three types between July and September?

Cirium data shows that in the past 20 years, the 747 has operated about one in two Korean Air passenger flights to Heathrow (48%). This was a similar proportion as the SkyTeam link to Paris CDG (49%), with only Frankfurt seeing the quadjet more (55% of the time). It will be good to see if Frankfurt and CDG see the jumbo again – or if it is more than a one-off in the case of CDG.

What do you make of it all? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

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