Korean Air converts options for twenty Airbus A321neo’s

Korean Air has ordered an additional twenty Airbus A321neo’s, the airline said in a regulatory filing on Monday. The latest order is a conversion of previous options and brings the total commitments for the type to fifty.

The new aircraft are for fleet renewal and replace older Boeing 737-900s and -900ERs, of which it has nine and five respectively. The -900s are on average just over twenty years old, while the -900ERs are 11.5 years old. There is also one 737-700 and two -800s in the fleet.

Korean Air first placed an order for the A321neo at the 2015 Paris Airshow, when it signed an MoU for thirty firms plus twenty options. The MoU was finalized in November that same year. The first aircraft was delivered on October 25, 2022, and entered service

a month later. Since then, seven A321neo’s have been delivered. The aircraft comes with eight Business Class and 174 Economy Class seats or 182 in total, which is six Economy seats fewer than the 737-900.