Summary
- Korean Air is considering purchasing Boeing 777X aircraft.
- Boeing has so far secured two 777X deals in 2024.
- The order would be shortly after it had purchased 33 Airbus A350 aircraft.
Korean Air is currently in talks with Boeing to purchase at least ten Boeing 777X aircraft shortly after it ordered Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft in April 2024. If confirmed, the order would be the third deal for the 777X so far this year.
Ongoing discussions
According to a report by Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, Korean Air is currently in ongoing discussions with Boeing to purchase at least ten Boeing 777X aircraft. The last time the Korean airline ordered Boeing aircraft was in July 2019, when the carrier purchased 20 Boeing 787 aircraft: ten 787-9 and ten 787-10, the manufacturer’s orders and deliveries filings showed.
Photo: Andrew Crider | Simple Flying
However, since then, the airline has swayed towards Airbus, the European rival of Boeing. In April, the airline finalized an order for 33 Airbus A350 aircraft, split between 27 A350-1000 and six A350-900s, its first-ever order for the A350.
Nevertheless, so far in 2024, Boeing has booked two separate orders for the 777X. In March, Ethiopian Airlines purchased up to 20 aircraft of the type, with the African airline committing to eight 777-9 and 12 options for the type. Furthermore, Boeing’s orders and deliveries filings unveiled that an unidentified customer(s) purchased 20 777X in March. In total, Boeing has 43 net orders for the 777-8, 55 for the 777-8F, and 383 for the 777-9, as of March 31.
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Replacing older aircraft
In the upcoming years, Korean Air will have to replace some of the older and less efficient aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8. On average, its ten Airbus A380s, six of which are stored, are 12.1 years old, while its passenger Boeing 747-8 average 8.1 years on an airframe. The airline has nine 747-8s, with two currently being inactive, according to ch-aviation data.
Photo: Alex JW Robinson | Shutterstock
Korean Air has configured its Boeing 747-8 aircraft with six first class, 48 business class, and 314 economy class seats, welcoming a total of 368 passengers onboard its Queen of the Skies. Meanwhile, the airline’s Airbus A380s have 407 seats: 12 first, 94 business, and 301 economy class.
According to Boeing, it has advertised the 777-9 with a typical two-class configuration of 426 passengers, while the 777-8 could welcome up to 395 travelers in a typical two-class interior layout. The report did not specify whether Korean Air was buying the 777-8 or 777-9, two passenger versions of the 777X.
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Possible delays
When Boeing executives, including Brian West, the chief financial officer (CFO) and Executive Vice President of Finance of Boeing, spoke during the plane maker’s Q4 2023 earnings call, the latest update was that it has resumed production of the 777X. In addition, Boeing was progressing along its timeline, which remains unchanged, as it continues to follow the lead of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Photo: Boeing
Still, Tim Clark, the President of Emirates, warned that first deliveries of the Boeing 777X could slip to late 2025 or early 2026, meaning further delays for the aircraft program that was initially slated to enter service in 2020. Clark made his comments during an Aviation Club event in London, the United Kingdom in March.
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This would mean that Boeing would deliver the first 777X six years after the initially planned delivery date.
