Korean Air to Announce Order for About 100 Boeing Aircraft... Largest in History

Announcement Scheduled at Washington, DC Event
Chairman Cho Won-tae Also in Attendance

Korean Air is expected to place an order for approximately 100 aircraft from the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, Reuters reported on the 25th (local time).

According to sources, Korean Air is set to announce this large-scale Boeing aircraft order on the occasion of President Lee Jaemyung's visit to Washington, D.C. Reuters reported that this order is expected to be the largest in the history of Korean airlines and will include the 787, 777, and 737 models.

In July 2024, Korean Air signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Boeing at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom to purchase up to 50 aircraft, including the 777-9 and 787-10. In March this year, the two parties agreed to expedite the implementation of this agreement. The contract was valued at 24.9 billion dollars (approximately 34.6 trillion won), making it the largest aircraft purchase contract by Korean Air in terms of value at that time. However, it is unclear whether part of the previous contract from two years ago is included in this new order for approximately 100 aircraft.

Korean Air's order for about 100 Boeing aircraft is essentially seen as a "trade gift" timed with President Lee's visit to the United States. Previously, both Qatar and Japan have also announced large-scale Boeing purchases to coincide with summits or state visits.

According to Reuters, Korean Air Chairman Cho Won-tae and Stephanie Pope, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, both attended an event in Washington, D.C. with President Lee Jaemyung and business leaders. Boeing has not issued any official statement regarding this order.