Summary
- The carrier has operated its last passenger Boeing 747 service.
- Its 10-strong freighter fleet continues to be used.
- Retirement makes much sense economically, but it is nonetheless a significant development.
Asiana has flown its last passenger Boeing 747 for the final time on a revenue-generating service. It was one of the three remaining airlines to use the A380 and the passenger 747, with only Lufthansa and Korean Air now doing so. Asiana’s rare non-Extended Range (ER) Boeing 767-300 is the next to go, along with its sole remaining A320.
Asiana Airlines To Retire Its Last Boeing 747-400 Next Month
Here is some background info for you.
The last day: March 25, 2024
Asiana has only ever operated three passenger 747-400s. The last example is registered HL7428, a 25.8-year-old frame that was delivered to the South Korean carrier factory-fresh in June 1999.
With 398 seats in three classes, it was its second-highest capacity type after the A380.
After being parked in early 2020, HL7428 briefly returned to service later that year. It was parked again in May 2022, only to rejoin the operating fleet later that summer. In this period, it only operated within Asia, most frequently from Seoul to Changchun and Tokyo Narita.
Since the start of March 2024, the aircraft has been exclusively flown between Seoul Incheon and Taipei Taoyuan. It is thus apt that its final scheduled service was on that 907-mile (1,460 km) route.
According to Flightradar24, OZ711 left Incheon for Taiwan at 10:15, arriving 2h 9m later at 11:24 local. Returning, OZ712 departed from Taipei at 13:34, arriving back 1h 52m later at 16:26. Now that HL7428 will no longer carry passengers, it will presumably be turned into a freighter.
It isn’t only Asiana that has withdrawn the passenger -400. Like many carriers globally, Korean Air did so in 2020, although its 747-8s live on and will return to the UK this summer. Since Lufthansa won’t use the 747-400 to South Korea this summer, Seoul will have no passenger flights on that variant this season.
This is set to change from the end of October, with Lufthansa set to use the -400 from Frankfurt again next winter.
US Boeing 747-400 Passenger Flights Drop To Just 1 Daily This Summer
Two will operate at times, but there’s only one between May and July.
What becomes of OZ711/712?
As always, life goes on. Using Cirium to examine Asiana’s schedules shows that OZ711/OZ712 will be operated by the 777-200ER until the end of October, with the A330-300 then taking over. It could have been worse: its second daily service will switch to the A321 this winter.
What memories do you have of Asiana’s passenger 747-400s? Share them in the comment section.
