Korean Air debuts 'superjumbo' flights

By Kim Young-gyo
HONG KONG, June 20 (Yonhap) -- Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's top carrier, said Monday that it has started its first-ever "superjumbo" flights, in a move to meet demands of customers seeking a higher grade of services.
The inaugural flights of Korean Air's A380 aircraft took place last Friday between Seoul and Hong Kong, and Seoul and Tokyo, the airline's officials said in a press conference held in Hong Kong.
Korean Air is the world's sixth operator of the world's largest passenger aircraft, which is manufactured by France's Airbus. The Airbus A380 was nicknamed superjumbo because of its double deck, wide body and four engines.
"The introduction of this superjumbo aircraft, with its pioneering spacious layout, is expected to further strengthen Korean Air's competitiveness as a leading global carrier in the aviation industry," Kang Dae-Hwan, Korean Air's regional general manager of passenger and cargo sales for Hong Kong and Macau, told reporters.
"By entering this thrilling new era with its new A380 fleet, Korean Air continues with its heartfelt pledge to remain fully committed to providing true excellence in flight, in its services and its commitment to the protection of the environment, whilst always striving to exceed the expectations of its customers."
Korean Air said it is the first airline to introduce a "Duty Free Showcase" on the A380 aircraft, which features a variety of duty-free products, such as cosmetics, perfumes, liquor and accessories.
A new onboard bar and lounge area has also been fitted onto the new aircraft, located at the rear of the upper deck.
Korean Air has ordered 10 A380 aircraft with the first five to be delivered by the end of 2011 and the remaining five by 2014.
The airline will gradually expand its A380 services to popular short-haul routes in Asia, such as Bangkok in July, followed by long-haul routes to major destinations in Europe and North America, such as New York in August, Paris in September and Los Angeles in October, the officials said.
In the first quarter of this year, Korean Air's net profit rose 49.5 percent from a year ago thanks to a stronger won and gains from equity investments.
Net profit came to 282 billion won (US$263.8 million) in the January-March period, compared with 188.7 billion won during the same period a year ago, the South Korean airline said last month. Sales rose 7.2 percent on-year to 2.82 trillion won in the period.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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