Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon) has hosed down reports that it is looking to retire ten A220-300s as part of a broader strategy to reduce the number of aircraft types it operates.
A Bloomberg report cited unnamed sources close to talks on the matter but said the airline had yet to make a decision and may ultimately decide to retain the regional jets. Approached for comment by ch-aviation, a Korean Air spokesperson said the airline did not have any plans "at this stage" to retire the A220-300s.
Korean Air took delivery of its first A220 in December 2017 and the last arrived in March 2019, making the oldest just 6.4 years old. Of the ten aircraft, eight are active, with one, HL7200 (msn 55022), last in service in July 2023 and now stored at Seoul Gimpo and another, HL7201 (msn 55024), also temporarily out of the air and at Gimpo for maintenance purposes.
ch-aviation schedules data shows that Korean Air uses the A220-300s on various domestic and regional routes including Busan-Seoul Gimpo, Busan-Jeju, Cheongju-Jeju, Daegu-Jeju, Daegu-Seoul Incheon, Gwangju-Jeju, Seoul Gimpo-Jeju, Yeosu/Suncheon-Seoul Gimpo, Ulsan-Seoul Gimpo, and Okinawa Naha-Seoul Incheon, and the type can also be found operating some flights between Seoul Incheon and Hong Kong International.
Korean Air operates an array of aircraft types including nine A321-200NXs, five A330-200s, twenty-one A330-300s, ten A380-800s, one B737-700(BBJ), five B737-8s, two B737-800s, ten B737-900s, six B737-900ERs, four B747-400ERFs, nine B747-8s, seven B747-8Fs, eight B777-200ERs, twelve B777-200Fs, four B777-300s, twenty-five B777-300ERs, one B787-8(BBJ), and twelve B787-9s. The airline also has forty-one A321-200Ns, twenty-two B737-8s, twenty B787-10s, and eight B787-9s on order.
