Korean Air will retire the Airbus A380 within five years. The airline's CEO Walter Cho confirmed the fate of the giant of the skies during an interview with aviation publication FlightGlobal. The date affects Korean Air's fleet of the giant, in addition to six belonging to Asiana Airlines as the two parties look to complete their merger.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the future of the already condemned Airbus A380 program has been thrown up in the air. While Singapore Airlines had already retired a few of the jets, Air France also revealed the retirement of its entire fleet before the crisis began. Since then, airlines such as Lufthansa and Etihad have both indicated that the giant isn't likely to return.

A safe haven with Korean?

It seems as though the future of the Airbus A380 with Korean Airlines is safeguarded for now, even if it means that that the type now has an expiration date. Speaking to FlightGlobal, the airline's CEO Walter Cho said,

"The A380s will be leaving Korean Air’s fleet within five years, and the Boeing 747-8I fleet will also follow suit within ten years."

This is also good news for fans of the Queen of the Skies. Alongside Lufthansa, who has committed to the Boeing 747, Korean Air will also be a sure bet for those wishing to fly the plane in the coming years.

Getting larger before retirement

The Airbus A380 fleet is also now set to increase in size before retirement. According to data from ch-aviaion.com, Korean Air has ten Airbus A380s ranging in age from 7.46 years to 10.76 years. Currently, just one of these aircraft, 10.44-year-old HL7614, is active.

However, ten is now set to become 16. It's no secret that Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are in the midst of a merger. In February, Simple Flying reported that the merger would create the world's second-largest Airbus A380 fleet. It seems as though Korean's CEO has also now confirmed this.

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Asiana Airlines currently has six Airbus A380s, all of which are stored. On average, the Asiana Airlines fleet is younger, with less usage than the Korean Airlines fleet. It ranges in age from 5.03 years to 7.69 years, giving an average age of 6.45 years, compared to 9.37 years at Korean Air.

Asiana's A380s have completed an average of 24,248 flight hours, with an average of 2,701 flight cycles. Meanwhile, Korean Air's A380s have achieved an average of 36,127 hours and 3,373 cycles.

The return of the Airbus A380?

For a while now, Korean Airlines has been operating one Airbus A380 rotation a week to the Chinese city of Guangzhou. With Emirates and China Southern also using the airport, it is currently the world's busiest by the number of Airbus A380 operators.

According to schedule information provided by Cirium, it seems the airline is preparing for the imminent return of the giant of the skies on a larger scale. In September, the airline has its usual weekly rotation to Guangzhou planned.

However, it also has 13 rotations to London Heathrow Airport planned. Before the pandemic, the A380 was responsible for a staggering 10% of all passengers at the London Hub, with most airlines having flown their giant to the airport at one point or another. 79 rotations with the type are currently planned for October, with flights to Bangkok, Guanzhou, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, and London Heathrow.

What do you think the A380's future at Korean Airlines is? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!