Korean Air has become the first airline in the world to operate both freighters from the Boeing stable — the 747-8F and 777F. Three days ago, the national carrier took delivery of the two aircraft at Everett, Washington, USA.
Korea’s flagship carrier, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, is also the first Boeing customer to order both the passenger (747-8i) and cargo variants (747-8F) of the new 747-8 airplane. Incidentally, D-ABYA the first 747-8i passenger version, of launch customer and German flag carrier Deutsche Lufthansa, performed its first flight just a few hours ago.
The carrier is expected to operate the 747-8F on its transpacific routes connecting Seoul, Osaka, Tokyo, Los Angeles and San Francisco, while the 777F will be used to operate new routes in Europe including Vienna, Frankfurt and London.
The four engined 747-8 Freighter offers a range of 4,390 nautical miles (8,130 km) and a maximum structural payload capacity of 148 tons (134 tonnes). This is an increase of 4,221 cubic feet (120 m3) and 16% more revenue cargo volume than its predecessor the 747-400 Freighter.
Boeing claims the twin-engine Boeing 777 Freighter to be the most fuel-efficient airplane with leading economic and environmental performance in its category. It has a cargo capacity of 103 metric tons (113 tons) with a range of 9,038 kilometers (4,880 nautical miles).