Korean Air Completes Aircraft Refurbishment

Korean Air has successfully completed its 6-year, extensive refurbishment plan to install next-generation premium seats and the latest Audio Video On Demand (AVOD) system on all its passenger aircraft. The final refurbished aircraft, an A330-300, operated the Seoul/Incheon-Hong Kong route on 17 April 2011.

For 6 years, from 2005 to 2011, Korean Air refurbished 49 passenger aircraft made up of Boeing 777s, B747s and A330s, and already part of the existing Korean Air fleet. As a result, the entire fleet is now installed with next-generation premium seats fitted with the latest AVOD system for all classes, as well as upgraded galley facilities.

Through this plan, Korean Air, currently operates a total of 68 aircraft with high-end facilities for all mid and long-haul passenger flights. Of the 68, while 49 were refurbished, 19 were newly introduced into the fleet with high-end facilities already installed.

49 Aircraft Refurbished, 14,441 Seats Changed, 360 billion Won Invested

Korean Air first completed the first phase of its extensive refurbishment plan by installing next-generation premium seats and the latest AVOD system in all classes of its 17 Boeing 747-400 planes. The second phase was then carried out from 2009 to 2011 and included a total of 32 B777 and A330 aircraft. The special thing about the second phase of the plan is that more upgraded seats were installed compared to the first phase. This was made possible because the second phase involved 85 international engineers from around the world, working intensively together from March 2007 to September 2009 to study over 12,000 pages of interior design prints and reports in order to successfully upgrade each respective cabin.

The total cost for the refurbishment project was 360 billion won. In addition, with 40,000 staff tasked for the project, 49 aircraft were refurbished and 14,441 seats were replaced, enabling Korean Air to offer passengers of all classes top-class entertainment and improved seating conditions for their travel enjoyment.

Refurbished Cabin

The next-generation premium seats include Kosmo Suites, Kosmo Sleepers and Sleeper seats in First Class, Prestige Sleepers and Prestige Plus seats in Prestige Class, and New Economy and Economy seats in Economy Class.

The B777s, which often operate long-haul routes, such as those to the US and Europe, have been installed with Kosmo Suites. Named by Korean Air, this next-generation premium seat was designed by Acumen, a world-renowned design company based in the UK. Costing 250 million won per seat, it can transform into a 180-degree, full-flat bed and has been widened by 15 cm (6 inches) to 67.3 cm (26.5 inches) so as to provide passengers with added comfort. This seat will be installed in the Korean Air A380, which will be introduced this May.

The Prestige Sleeper can also transform into a 180-degree, full-flat bed, offering the same level of comfort as First Class in many other airlines.

The new Economy seat is an ergonomically designed seat that contains individual monitors which now measure 27 cm (10.6 inches), 5.6 cm (2.2 inches) larger than before, and can be reclined up to 118 degrees to offer more comfort for passengers. 

See recent travel news from: Travel News Asia, Korean Air, Korea