Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE
Asiana Airlines is to defer delivery of its first Boeing 777 on order because of South Korea's worsening economic difficulties, and will instead acquire additional 767-300ERs and 747-400 freighters.
The airline is planning to push back deliveries of its first 777-200/300s by up to two years, say local sources. Asiana has already traded one 777-200 and a -300 delivery position for a 767 and 747-400F respectively. It is now discussing taking four more smaller -300ERs instead of 777s.
Asiana officials acknowledge that fleet plans are under review, but will only confirm that the first 777-200 on order, originally intended for delivery at the end of 1998 to mark the carrier's tenth anniversary, has been substituted for a 767. Delivery of another 747-400F has also been delayed, but in this case because of production hold-ups at Boeing.
The airline only recently received final approval to order an initial three 777-200IGWs and two -300s, along with two 767-300s, a single 747-400F and six Airbus Industrie A330-200/300s (Flight International, 3-9 September). Plans called for a second tranche of ten 777s, two 747-400Fs and 12 A330s to be delivered between 2001-05.
Airbus deliveries remain on schedule, with the first A330-200 and -300 due for delivery in 1999. Asiana had earlier asked the European consortium to swap an A330 delivery position for two additional A321s, but with no success. It is also due to receive the first of 18 recently ordered A321s early next year.
The airline says that it will also proceed with delivery of two leased 777-200s in October 1999 and May 2000. It reached agreement with International Lease Finance earlier in the year to take the two aircraft on a nine-year lease, and says that these are separate from the 15 777-200/300s it originally intended to order.
Source: Flight International
