Korean Air to keep flying its A380 and 747 jumbo jets
A shortfall in new aircraft means the big four-engine planes still have a role to play.
By Staff Writers, July 1 2025
Korean Air will keep flying its Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 jets for years to come, according to airline chief Walter Cho.
Cho had previously intended to retire these colossal queens of the sky by 2026, but ongoing delays in the arrival of new aircraft have put those plans on hold and keep the four-engine jets in the sky.
“The A380 has been in our fleet for about 12 years, and I had a plan to retire them,” Cho reflected during a media briefing ahead of the airline’s unveiling of new livery and corporate branding in Seoul.
Korean Air is not yet ready to fly its superjumbo fleet into the sunset.
However, like every other airline, the South Korean flag-carrier is waiting on deliveries from Airbus and Boeing – among them the Airbus A350, Boeing 787 and Boeing 777-9.
“We are short by about 20 aircraft per manufacturer,” Cho admitted. “That’s why the older A380s and 747-8s and the very old 777s are still flying… that’s why we have not retired them yet.”
“As soon as we get new aeroplanes, as soon as the next opportunity comes, those two airplanes (A380s and 747s) will be phased out.”
Korean Airlines was the seventh airline to sign up for the double-decker jet, with the first delivery in 2011.
Korean Air's A380 business class Celestial Bar.
In addition to two lounges for first and business class passengers, the later of which is the Celestial Bar, the carrier's own unique touch was a duty-free boutique at the rear of the lower deck.
Duty-free shopping on Korean Air's A380.
Lined with high-end cosmetics, perfumes and liquor to catch the eye and prise open the wallet or purse, the showcase let passengers browse actual items rather than be restricted to leafing through a brochure.
Each of the bottles on display was fitted with a heavy-duty magnet on the bottom to keep it in place during turbulence although the alcohol was also stowed on taxi, take-off and landing.
Duty-free shopping on Korean Air's A380.
Open for the duration of each flight and staffed by a full-time sales assistant, Korean Air accurately gambled that revenue from increased duty-free sales would more than offset the loss of two rows of economy seating which the boutique replaced.
However, the business class Celestial Bar and duty-free showcase have since been turned into self-serve snack areas for passengers.
As for the Boeing 747-8 ‘Intercontinental’ passenger jet, Korean Air is one of only three airlines still flying this final variant of the long-lived 747, alongside Lufthansa and Air China.
Korean Air's Boeing 747-8.
It will also inherit the A380 superjumbos of Asiana Airlines in the coming years, as the merger of the two South Korean carriers is completed and the Asiana brand disappears, resulting in 13 Korean Air superjumbos.
Korean Air will also gain the six superjumbos of Asiana Airlines.
Given the newly extended life of those A380s, Cho said it was yet to be determined if these double-decker jets would be redressed in Korean Air’s striking new livery.
“We haven’t decided on that yet, it depends on the schedule of our deliveries.”
Cho did however confirm that all-new first class suites were under development, while premium economy was now being fitted to the workhorse Boeing 777 fleet, which is also being upgraded to the latest Prestige Suites 2.0 in business class.
Also read: New-look Korean Air lounges coming to Seoul, Los Angeles, JFK
