Korean Air to operate A321neo aircraft for flights to Vietnam
VOV.VN - Korean Air, the flag carrier of the Republic of Korea (RoK), has selected Vietnam to be the first country in Southeast Asia where it will operate its new Airbus A321neo aircraft.
Korean Air is set to put the A321neo into use for flights from Seoul (RoK) to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), one of its most popular Southeast Asian routes, as of May 1, 2023.
Korean Air operates three daily flights, KE469, KE475, and KE477, from Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN).
Korean Air's A321neo is configured in a two-class layout featuring 182 seats, including eight full-flat Prestige Class seats and 174 economy seats. This is the first narrow-body in the carrier's fleet to be fitted with fully lie-flat business-class seats.
They are equipped with a 44-centimetre personal monitor for audio and video on demand IFE, along with a wireless smartphone charger.
Kyeyong Kim, sales director of Korean Air in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Vietnam is a growing market for Korean Air, as many Korean and foreign companies are investing in Vietnam, fueling demand for business travel.
Vietnam is not only an important inbound market for Korean Air, but is also a significant outbound market because many people travelling from Vietnam to North America and other destinations on Korean Air via their hub in Seoul Incheon, he elaborated.
In the first quarter of the year, Vietnam welcomed 2.7 million international arrivals, nearly 30 times higher than in 2022. Of those visitors, 811,000 came from the RoK, making it the largest source of international arrivals during the reviewed period.
Korean Air will receive 30 A321neos by 2027 and deploy them on routes from the RoK to Southeast Asia, Japan, and China. The airline, a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, now runs flights to 120 cities in 43 countries with a fleet of 156 aircraft.