SEOUL- Yet another Airbus A380 from the Korean Air (KE) fleet is being decommissioned, adding to the ten double-decker jets already retired.
Pictures circulating on social media depict the massive aircraft being disassembled, with the tail separated from the fuselage.
Korean Air Scraps A380
This particular A380, registered as HL7613 and manufactured in 2011, is over 13 years old.
Powered by GP7270 engines from Engine Alliance, it was retired from Korean Air’s service in March 2020 and has since been stored at Incheon Airport in Seoul.
The images reveal that the dismantling process is taking place near an Asiana Airlines hangar, a carrier that is in the process of being acquired by Korean Air.
A380 Flights to the USA
It’s noteworthy that Korean Air still operates some of its remaining A380s. As of May, four of them remain active, exclusively serving the Seoul-Los Angeles (LAX) route.
The fifth aircraft hasn’t been operating since April 18, possibly undergoing maintenance.
Additionally, four A380s, the airline’s initial batch, including HL7613, have been grounded for several months.
While Korean Air has already announced plans to phase out the A380, this is expected to coincide with the arrival of the first of 27 Airbus A350-1000s. These new aircraft will gradually take over long-range flights within the next few years.
Similar to Korean Air, Asiana Airlines (AS) will also retire its fleet of six A380s, which were acquired between 2014 and 2016, making them even newer than those of its previous competitor.
According to records from Planespotters, 22 A380s have been dismantled thus far out of a total of 251 manufactured. Airbus ceased production of the aircraft in December 2021.
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The post Korean Air Scraps One More Airbus A380 at Seoul Incheon Airport appeared first on Aviation A2Z.