Another A380 back to the Skies with Korean Air

DALLAS - It's indeed the season of the revival of the A380 superjumbos. One after the other, airlines that operated the type had no option but to bring the giant back given the demand.

Just recently, Lufthansa (LH) confirmed its A380 return, and now it's Korea's largest carrier, Korean Air (KE), that's followed the pattern, too. After nearly three years of struggle due to the pandemic and Asia's tight restrictions, it's time to get the behemoth flying again.

“We plan to restore international flights to 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels by September,” KE said Tuesday.

A380 Routes

Several international long-haul flights will resume to the United States, Europe, and around Asia, although flights to China, for the time being, are a no-go. Well, for the big news, the Airbus A380s will be back in service and operate in New York and Hong Kong (HKG) from July, while Tokyo Narita (NRT) is planned from September.

Korean Air has a total of 10 A380s, all able to carry 407 passengers each. Many of them are parked, but positive hope looms around them. Ten Boeing 777 aircraft that specifically hauled cargo all through the pandemic will be reconfigured for passenger operations soon.

At the moment overall operations are at only 33% of pre-COVID, but that doesn't stop KE from flying to new destinations this season from its hub at Incheon (ICN) - Las Vegas, Milan (MXP), Vienna (vie), Sapporo, and Okinawa in Japan.

Featured image: Korean Air HL7614 Airbus A380-861. Photo: Tony Bordelais/Airways