Korean Air will put its Airbus A380 between Paris and Seoul from this summer season. Paris will be then the only city in Europe to be served by the carrier’s flagship aircraft.
PARIS- Some positive news welcomed Ludovic Froidure, General Manager France of Korean Air just a few hours before his week end official started. On Friday afternoon, the GM was informed that the French Civil Aviation had finally agreed to a daily frequency for the carrier between Paris and Seoul with the brand new Airbus A380. “This will represent a major boost to our presence with up to 15% more capacities compared to the previous season. It will be a real challenge but I am confident as this aircraft acts as a real magnet on travellers. Especially as we will offer a high quality product on board”, says Mr. Froidure.
The Airbus A380 will serve the route until the end of October. “But we have fair chance to continue to serve Paris with our new flagship aircraft over the winter season”, adds Froidure.
The airline will offer an exceptional onboard comfort. “We offer a three class product with a first class, business and economy class. First class passengers can enjoy the comfort of a private suite; in our Prestige Class, we propose 94 bed-style seats with the upper floor totally dedicated to this class. And in Economy class, we have 301 seats”, adds Mr. Froidure. Why does Korean Air not offer a Premium Economy such as some others Asian air carriers ? “Standards for our economy class is far superior to most airlines. First we offer less density than any other carriers. And secondly, our seat offers a better reclining angle as passengers can stretch the seat similarly to a sleeper”. Other original features in the aircraft include a duty free shop in the back of the economy class and two private lounges in business class.
Paris is the only city in Europe to welcome the Airbus A380. “We tried the aircraft last year on Seoul-Frankfurt but the financial balance was not good. As we work closely with Air France within Skyteam and also due to the attractive position of France for Asian tourists, Paris is certainly a better choice”, explains Korean Air General Manager.
Paris is not the only European city to benefit from increasing capacities. From this summer timetable, both Zurich and Vienna are served individually non-stop while Amsterdam will be served four times a week instead of three.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
