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Boeing, one of the world’s leading airplane manufacturers, is facing growing competion from its archrival Airbus in Korea’s commercial aviation market, with Korean Air and Asiana Airlines buying more planes from the European firm in recent years.
The Chicago-based aerospace company used to be the sole supplier of not only military, but also commercial aircraft to Asia’s fourth largest economy, capitalizing on close economic and political ties between Korea and the United States.
But domestic airlines are increasingly moving toward the France-based Airbus for supplies of new airplanes. For instance, Asiana Airlines, one of the country’s flagship carriers, recently chose the A380 as its next generation aircraft.
On Jan. 6, the airline announced a plan to add a total of six A380 airplanes to its fleet between 2014 and 2017 at a cost of 2.04 trillion won. The company has also signed a contract with Airbus to buy a total of 30 A350 airplanes, which will be delivered from 2016.
Additionally, Air Busan, Asiana’s low-cost unit, just added a new A321 aircraft to its fleet, not Boeing’s 737 airplane.
“It is true that we have purchased more airplanes from Airbus in recent years because they operate more efficiently, compared to those produced by Boeing. Also, the A380 and A321 aircrafts are more price-competitive,” an Asiana Airline spokesman said.
But he declined to comment on the details of the purchase terms with Airbus and whether the airline is having an issue with Boeing. Asiana currently operates a fleet of 75 aircraft — 35 Airbus and 40 Boeing planes.
In recent years, Korean Air has also been buying more planes from Airbus than it used to in the past.
“The general trend is that we are purchasing more from Airbus. We plan to put our first A380 aircraft into operation in June and purchase nine additional ones by 2014. But we do not know when we willbe able to operate Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner because its delivery has been indefinitely postponed,” a Korean Air spokesman said.
Korean Air has a commercial fleet of 104 airplanes — 29 Airbus and 75 Boeing.
In a recent press conference, Boeing Korea CEO Patrick Gaines expressed regret that his company has been unable to deliver the 787 to its customers on schedule.
“I am more disappointed than anyone else about the delayed delivery. But we are committed more than anyone to the timely delivery and production of the best-quality and safest airplanes,” Gaines said.
When asked about whether its business relationships with Korean airlines have deteriorated or not, Gaines flatly dismissed it, stressing that its foothold here is stronger and more established than ever.
“There are times when everyone does not come into the same terms. But we will continue to maintain strong ties with Korean Air and Asiana Airlines,” the CEO said. “We believe that we can continue to make progress in Korea and other markets as long as we focus on delivering high-quality airplanes.”
보잉 한국 상용기 시장에서 에어버스에 고전
최근 대한항공 아시아나 항공 등이 잇따라 에어버스로부터 비행기를 구입하고 있어 세계적인 비행기 제조회사인 미국의 보잉이 한국 상용기 시장에서 고전을 면치 못하고 있다.
과거 보잉은 한국과 미국의 친밀한 관계에 힘있어 한국의 군용기 시장뿐만 아니라 상용기 시장에서 최고의 강자로 군림하였다.
하지만 최근 국내 항공사들은 프랑스에 기반을 둔 에어버스로부터 보잉 보다 더 많은 새로운 기종을 도입하고 있다.
아시아나 항공은 최근 보잉의 787 드림라인어가 아닌 에어버스의 A380 기종을 2014년부터 6대 도입하기로 결정했으며 계열사인 에어부산도 보잉의 737기종이 아닌 에어버스의 A321 기종을 도입 운행에 들어갔다.
최근엔 대한항공 또한 A380을 비롯 과거보다 많은 비행기를 에어버스로부터 도입하고 있는 추세다
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