Korean Air has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from an order for ten placed on May 31, 2005. The jet, HL 8081 (c/n 34810), will initially be flown on domestic services from Seoul/Gimpo to Jeju for around a month as part of the Korea Office of Civil Aviation’s required certification period. Afterwards it will be introduced onto the carrier’s long-haul international network, with the first service to Toronto, Canada due to start on June 1. The airline expects to receive a further four airframes this year with the final five set to arrive in 2019. As more aircraft join the fleet, more routes will be transferred to the Dreamliner with three flights a week between Seoul/Incheon and Madrid and four flights per week between Seoul/Incheon and Beijing scheduled to start in August. The aircraft will also substitute an Airbus A330-200 on the thrice-weekly Zurich link from October 3.
Walter Cho, President of Korean Air, commented: “The 787 will be a key member of Korean Air’s fleet as we continue to introduce next-generation aeroplanes to our customers.” He went on to say the carrier wasn’t pursuing new routes for its 787s, but concentrating on increasing current route frequencies. (Photo Boeing)
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