Korean Air has become the first carrier from North East Asia to take delivery of the A380 superjumbo, and will offer a bar and lounge area for premium passengers at the back of the upper deck.
The carrier took delivery of the aircraft in a ceremony at Airbus’ headquarter in Toulouse, and is now the sixth airline to operate the superjumbo. The event included an acrobatic abseil display, and Airbus staff holding aloft umbrellas in the red, white and blue colours of Korean Air’s logo.
Korean is currently the only airline to dedicated the whole of the upper deck of the aircraft with business class seating, and has also configured the superjumbo with the fewest total number of seats, at 407. However SIA will also move to an all-business class upper deck on these new aircraft (see online news May 23).
Korean Air's A380 aircraft feature both an inflight Duty Free "Showcase" (see online news April 18), and an onboard bar and lounge area for business and first class passengers. This is positioned at the back of the upper deck, and features smart blue and white seating, with a flatscreen TV and bar area.
Korean Air’s first A380 will arrive in Korea on June 2 after completing final flight and ground tests in Toulouse, before undergoing further flight tests ahead of its inaugural commercial flight to Tokyo Narita in mid June.
The carrier has a total of ten superjumbos on order, with five due for delivery this year, and a further five by 2014. Initially the aircraft will serve destinations in Asia, with routes to North America and Europe following later.
For exclusive images of Korean Air's new superjumbo, taken at the launch event, click here, and for a comparison of the six A380 operators, including images, videos and seatplans, click here.
Report by Mark Caswell
