Becomes Eleventh Operator Of The Superjumbo Aircraft

South Korea’s Asiana Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A380, becoming the eleventh operator of the type in the world. The A380 was handed over to Park Sam Koo, Chairman of Kumho Asiana Group, by Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO, during a special ceremony in Toulouse, France.

Asiana Airlines has ordered six A380s, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines. The airline has specified a premium three class layout for its fleet, seating a total of 495 passengers, with 12 private suites in First Suite, 66 fully flat seats in Business Smartium and 417 seats in Travel Class. All seats are equipped with the latest on-demand in-flight entertainment systems.

“(O)ur first A380 ... is key to our future vision and fleet modernization strategy”, said Park Sam Koo, Chairman of Kumho Asiana Group. “I am confident that Asiana can further enhance its level of customer service and that the A380 will play a significant role in helping us to remain at the forefront of the airline business.”

Asiana Airlines will initially deploy its new flagship aircraft from Seoul on regional services in Asia to Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok, followed by long-haul routes to Los Angeles.

As part of its widebody fleet modernization strategy, Asiana Airlines also has 30 A350 XWB airplanes on order. Airbus currently has 324 firm orders for the A380, from 20 customers.

(Image provided by Airbus)

FMI: www.airbus.com