• 

  Korean Air

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  KE/KAL

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Incheon International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1969

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Walter Cho

  Country:

  South Korea

Korean Air is currently hiring captains to fly its fleet of Airbus A380 aircraft. A job listing posted by Rishworth Aviation shows that the airline is looking to hire pilots on a 5-year renewable contract, suggesting that the giant of the skies isn't going anywhere in a hurry.

Korean Air is set to resume widescale Airbus A380 operations next month when the type resumes flights to New York's JFK Airport, alongside a shorter hop to Hong Kong Airport. Of course, as the airline brings the giant of the skies out of its slumber, it needs to ensure that it has enough crew to operate them. In Europe, we've seen plenty of flights canceled for that exact reason.

Hiring Airbus A380 captains

A job listing posted on Rishworth Aviation shows that Korean Air is currently hiring Airbus A380 captains worldwide on commuting contracts. Seeing as the requirements mean that the position is only open to those with real Airbus A380 experience, the role seems targeted at pilots who may have found their own airline retiring the type. According to the posting, potential applicants must have at least,

• 1000+ PIC hours on A380
• 2500+ total PIC airline Jet transport hours
• 5000+ total Airline JET Transport hours
• 7000+ total flight time
• Less than 60 years of age at the date of joining
• Valid A380 type rating
• High School Certificate/Diploma

Good news for the Airbus A380?

The fact that Korean Air is hiring crew for the Airbus A380 on a five-year contract suggests that the airline likely doesn't plan to retire the giant of the skies much sooner. However, the development comes around ten months after the airline's CEO revealed that it would retire the A380 within five years. It's not clear how many captains the airline is currently looking for, though it will depend on how many of the ten jets will be returning to the skies, and how often they will be flying.

The Korean Air Airbus A380's return will not set any records just yet. A month ago, the airline revealed that the giant of the skies would be returning to regular service on July 1st with a daily trip to New York. This service will necessitate the return of at least two Airbus A380s.

A week later, the airline also added Hong Kong to the Airbus A380's schedule. The giant of the skies will make this hop just three times a week. Given the much shorter flight time to Hong Kong, Korean Air would be able to operate this rotation with one of the aircraft flying to and from Los Angeles during its downtime, meaning that the entire schedule could theoretically still be completed with just two aircraft.

For the time being, this is all that is scheduled for the IATA summer season. The airline has yet to add the A380 to the next winter schedule.

Are you excited to see Korean Air hiring Airbus A380 pilots? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!

Source: Rishworth Aviation