Korea's Air has confirmed it will introduce premium economy products as it appears to constitute the 11 Boeing 777-300ers with its still uncovered products.
Airlines Chief Operating Jason Yu has confirmed that the retrofit program will be launched mid-year, as it was delayed “for a while” as a result of supply chain issues.
Speaking in an interview in Seoul, Yoo says he hopes that Retrofit will be completed by the end of 2026.
SkyTeam operators have not revealed the new seat configuration for the 777S, but Yoo says the newly modified 777 will remove first-class seats. Korean Air has eight first class suites for each of the 777-300ers.
The airline chose Safran for its premium economic seat. The manufacturer also supplies economy seats. Collins Aerospace is a Korean supplier of business class seating.
Airline CEO Walter Cho said at a briefing on March 11 that the airline is also considering making up the future Airbus A350 and 777-9 with premium economic products.
The premium economy class plan was first disclosed in 2023 by Cho to Bloomberg, who told agents that the South Korean 787-10 would be equipped with new products.
The new Premium Economy Seat will be added to the already busy cabin product mix from the Korean National Airlines. Yoo acknowledges that if Koreans merge with Asiana Air two years later, the number of cabin products will increase, but says airlines will consider “simplification” in the long run.
Yoo also reflected Cho's comments that airlines will pursue “simplification of the fleet” once the integration with Asiana is complete. Among the types of aircraft, Yoo says that airlines are considering quitting the A380, 747-8S, A220 and Asiana's A320CEOS.
Cho said on March 11th that the airline is continuing to fly its four-engine jets for longer as it faces delivery delays for new aircraft. For example, the A380 would have started to leave the fleet this year.
