Korean Air announced on January 26, 2025, that it has introduced the Airbus A350-900 to its fleet.
The Korean flag carrier is set to deploy its newest aircraft, at first, on twice daily services between Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Osaka-Kansai (ITM), Japan. A second aircraft will follow suit, linking daily the Korean capital to Fukuoka (FUK), also in Japan.
The next destinations slated to receive Korean Air’s A350-900s will be Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in March as well as Madrid-Barajas (MAD) and Rome Fiumicino (FCO) in the second half of the year.
Korean Air has opted for a two-cabin configuration for its A350-900s, with a total of 311 passengers (28 in business, which it calls “Prestige Class”, and 283 in economy class).
Interestingly, the Korean flag carrier’s involvement in the A350 program goes further than its role as an operator. The airline’s in-house Aerospace Division has designed, and it also manufactures, the A350’s forward, aft and bulk cargo doors.
These two aircraft are the first of the type to be delivered to the Korean carrier out of an order placed with Airbus in March 2024 for 33 A350-family aircraft (27 A350-1000s and six A350-900s).