Korean Air Takes Delivery of First A300-600 Converted Freighter Aircraft
Dresden, 23 November 2006
Korean Air today took delivery of the first of its two Airbus A300-600Fs at EADS EFW´s facility in Dresden, Germany. The airframe bearing the MSN 717 was formerly operated by the Korean airline itself as a passenger aircraft. It touched down in Dresden for conversion into freighter configuration in August 2006. Korean Air´s second A300-600 aircraft is currently under conversion.
“I am delighted to welcome the number one commercial cargo airline as a new customer. Korean Air made a great choice to convert the popular Airbus A300-600 wide-body aircraft to enlarge its freighter fleet”, said Horst Emker, President and CEO of EADS EFW.
Celebrating the delivery of first A300-600, Mr. Lee Jong-hee, Korean Air President and COO said, “ We are so glad to take delivery of first A300-600. It will greatly help us strengthen our cargo business and maintain our status as the number one commercial cargo airline.”
With the delivery of A300-600, Korean Air expects to utilize its own cargo fleet fully meeting cargo demand effectively. The A300-600 converted freighter will be mainly used on short haul routes.
As of today, EADS has delivered a total of 133 converted freighter aircraft to over 20 customers worldwide. EFW, headquartered in Dresden, Germany, is the centre of competence for Airbus passenger to freighter conversion within EADS.
With its excellent financial performance, Korean Air received the 2006 "Phoenix Award" from Air Transport World (ATW) for its success in overcoming challenges in the global airline industry. Its superb service also earned the Seoul-based carrier recognition when it received top rankings in almost every airline category in the TIME Asia Readers' Travel Choice Awards 2005 and 2006.
Korean Air, with a fleet of 118 aircraft, is one of the world's top 20 airlines, and operates almost 400 passenger flights per day to 105 cities in 34 countries. It is a founding member of SkyTeam, the global airlines alliance - partnering Aeroflot, AeroMexico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM and Northwest Airlines to provide customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. More on Korean Air's programs, routes, frequency and partners is available at www.koreanair.com.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of € 34.2 billion and employed a workforce of about 113,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is one of the largest industrial partners for the European satellite navigation system Galileo.
For further information:
| Sabine Klie | EADS EFW |
Tel.: +49 351 8839 2488 Fax: +49 351 8839 2349 www.efw.eads.net mailto: Sabine.Klie@efw.eads.net |
