Korean Air has announced that it will deploy the first of its new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners on the Seoul to Bangkok route now that the aircraft has completed entry into service checks and crew training flights between Seoul and Tokyo with the carrier. The plane (registered HL8515) was delivered fresh to the company from Boeing on July 19, 2024.
The newest arrival in the Korean Air fleet will begin operations on the Seoul-Incheon Airport (ICN) to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) on August 1, 2024. The aircraft is due to set off from Seoul at 18:05 local time and arrive in Bangkok some three hours and 45 minutes later before heading back to Seoul on the return leg.
The SkyTeam Alliance carrier, which currently operates four daily (28 weekly) flights on the Seoul to Bangkok route, will initially deploy the 787-10 on six of these weekly services. However, on August 8, 2024, this number will increase to 12 times weekly. The new airplanes are gradually replacing Airbus A330s currently used on the route as they offer a larger capacity which better serves the growing demand for services on the route, particularly among business travelers, says the airline.
“Thailand is a vital market for Korean Air. Many Korean companies are investing and doing business in Thailand, fuelling demand for business travel,” says Jong Min Kim, Thailand Country Manager at Korean Air. “We are deeply committed to supporting Thailand’s tourism and economic missions. With 13 gateways in North America and 12 in Japan via Seoul Incheon Terminal 2, Korean Air is dedicated to serving Thailand through our extensive global network.”
Travelers from South Korea made up around a third of all international arrivals into Thailand in 2023 with 1.65 million visitors making the journey, according to data from Thailand’s tourism ministry. Meanwhile, in the reverse direction, Thailand is South Korea’s eighth largest source of arrivals according to the Korea Tourism Organization. There were 119,455 visitors from Thailand from January to April 2024 alone – a number that accounts for 2.5% of South Korea’s total international arrivals
Korean Air’s 787-10s can accommodate 325 passengers in a two-class configuration, featuring 289 economy-class and 36 business-class seats. Additionally, the 787-10 is the first aircraft in the Korean Air fleet to feature the carriers’ newly relaunched business-class product, known as ‘Prestige Suites 2.0’.
Each seat offers passengers fully-lie-flat capability with 46 inches (117 cm) of pitch and 21 inches (53 cm) of width, plus a 23.8-inch (60 cm) personal 4K monitor. The aircraft’s business class cabin is configured in a 1-2-1 and includes a wireless charging pad and powerful 60W USB-C charging ports.
Further down the plane, in economy, each passenger benefits from a 13.3-inch (33cm) personal monitor, along with a seat pitch of 32 inches (81cm) and width of 17.2 inches (44cm).
Korean Air’s 787-10s are equipped with General Electric GEnx-1B74/75 engines, the same model proven for performance and reliability on the carrier’s Boeing 787-9 fleet of which it operates 13. The maximum range of the 787-10 is 6,984 miles (11,175km), around 875 miles (1,400km) shorter than the 787-9 due to its longer fuselage, higher weight, and increased seating capacity. The airline’s 787-9s carry 269 passengers while its A330-300s accommodate 284 passengers, both in a two-class configuration.
The carrier has a total of 19 further 787-10s on order which it intends to deploy on heavier trunk routes around its Southeast Asian network as well as further afield. It also is expecting delivery of a further seven 787-9s in the coming years to bring its total 787 fleet to 40 units.
