Korean Air's first four Airbus A380 aircraft have entered final assembly at Airbus's Toulouse factory, with the first aircraft scheduled to be delivered in May 2011.
The carrier has ordered ten A380s. Following the delivery of the first aircraft, Korean Air will take delivery of the subsequent three aircraft in June, July, and August. One more aircraft will be delivered in 2011, with the remaining five to be delivered between 2012 and 2014.
Korean Air will train 120 pilots prior to the launch of A380 service next year, says the airline
"In preparation for the launch, Korean Air will send pilots to the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse next March for training and introduce A380 simulator equipment to the Incheon training centre for training purposes in the near future," says the airline.
Korean Air's A380s will have 400-450 seats. The carrier says it will be the sixth airline to operate the A380, but will be the first to operate the aircraft between the US and Asia.
Initially, however, the carrier will operate the A380 on short haul routes within East Asia, and will only add US and Europe rotes from August 2011.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
