Korean Air Sets New Record for Longest Nonstop Flight: Incheon?Miami 13,405 km

Boeing 777-300ER Cargo-Only Passenger Flight Operates Nonstop from Incheon to Miami in 14 Hours 42 Minutes
Passenger Seats Removed to Improve Fuel Efficiency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] Korean Air has set a new record for the longest nonstop flight distance since its founding in 1969 with a cargo-only passenger aircraft.

Korean Air announced on the 14th that cargo charter flight KE8047, which departed Incheon Airport at 9:14 PM on the 12th, flew nonstop for 14 hours and 42 minutes covering 13,405 km to arrive at Miami Airport in the United States.

Until now, Korean Air's longest nonstop flight record was the Incheon-Atlanta route, with a distance of 12,547 km and a flight time of 13 hours and 50 minutes.

This new record by Korean Air was achieved during the process of overcoming the COVID-19 crisis. Since last year, Korean Air has been transporting cargo using aircraft with passenger seats removed to overcome the decline in passenger demand caused by COVID-19.

For this nonstop Incheon-Miami route, a cargo-only passenger aircraft Boeing 777-300ER was deployed to transport COVID-19 test kits and other items. The reduced aircraft weight due to the removal of passenger seats, the high fuel efficiency of the aircraft, and the urgent need to transport COVID test kits combined to make this nonstop flight possible.

Korean Air operates six weekly scheduled cargo flights to Miami, a hub for South American routes. These scheduled cargo flights stop over at Anchorage for refueling and crew changes.

Since last year, Korean Air has been overcoming the COVID-19 crisis by repurposing idle passenger aircraft into cargo planes. Korean Air has removed passenger seats from 16 passenger aircraft, including 10 B777s and 6 A330s, to use them as cargo planes, and two B777s have been equipped with devices that allow cargo to be loaded in passenger seats.

From March last year until the end of last month, the number of flights operated by 'cargo-only passenger aircraft' carrying only cargo reached a total of 8,300.