Korean Air is the latest airline to take delivery of the new generation A321neo. Just today the operator has received its first of the type which will be later joined by other 29 by 2027. This is quite an innovation for the airline, particularly in terms of cabin layout, as we’ll see shortly.
About Korean Air’s A321neo Order
The east Asian airline, Airbus’ longest standing customer outside of Europe, already operating the A220, A330 and A380 in its fleet had placed an order for 30 A321neo.
HL8505 is the first of the 30 new planes of this type to join the Korean flag carrier’s fleet. All 30 of the type will be powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF new generation engines.
These will enable the airline to save up to 25% in terms of fuel consumption and emissions compared to the previous generation of engines.
Layout And Configuration
The new Korean Air A321neo aircraft will be primarily destined to short haul flights to China, Japan and Southeast Asia. This means that these new planes have an economy heavy layout as the cabin features:
- 174 Economy Class Seats
- 8 Business Class Seats (Prestige)
However the business class seats are the center of attention. Although these new planes are narrow bodies, business class features lie flat beds for extra comfort. This is a nice touch particularly for connecting passengers who might want to catch up on some sleep on the first or last leg of their trip.
Economy class on the other hand features a 3-3 layout with individual 33cm IFE screens.
HL8505 First Flights
Korean Air wasted no time putting this new aircraft to good use, as the plane already flew its first flights. In particular the aircraft still hasn’t covered any international routes but has until now flown from Seoul (GMP/ICN) to the island of Jeju (CJU). I’m quite curious to hear feedback regarding those 8 Prestige lie flat seats in a narrow body Korean Air plane.
