Korean Air to Manufacture Boeing 787 Aircraft Parts

Korean Air has signed a US$200 million contract with Boeing to manufacture wingtips for the 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The commercial airline aerospace deal, the largest of its kind in Korea, was signed at the Seoul Air Show taking place at the Sungnam Airport from October 18-23.

 and Wade Cornelius, executive vice president of Boeing’s Product Development and Global Strategy Division signed the joint contract for participation in the global consortium for joint development. 

“We are very pleased to be involved in the 787 wingtip production, not only as a supplier but also as a partner in the aircraft design and development stage,” said Mr. Sang Muk Seo, president of Korean Air’s Aerospace Division. He added, “Korean Air’s Aerospace Division has greatly expanded its capabilities over the years and we aim to increase our presence in this market.”

This is the first time for a Korean carrier to be one of the lead companies in the joint development and manufacturing of an aircraft. Korean Air is one of seven global partners jointly developing the 787 structure. The other partners are Vought and Spirit (U.S.), Alenia (Italy), Kawasaki Heavy Industries/Fuji Heavy Industries/ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan).

Korean Air has signed MOU agreements with its partners for fuselage and wingtip parts development. The total value of the joint agreements for parts and development is approximately US$1.5 billion.

The wingtips will be supplied to Boeing beginning in 2007. An aircraft’s wingtips, located at the end of the wing and approximately 5 meters in length, functions to reduce drag which makes the aircraft more fuel efficient and extends the range of operation.

Korean Air began manufacturing aircraft parts for companies including Boeing and Airbus in 1986. To date, the total value of parts exported by the Aerospace Division is approximately US$1.6 billion.

As a global 787 partner, Korean Air has been involved in the 787 project since its early development stages involving design, testing, certification, manufacturing and aircraft operation. Korean Air is also involved in maintenance support operations for airlines as they take delivery and begin operations with the aircraft.

There are approximately 120 Korean Air engineers working on the 787 development program and 60 of them are working out of Boeing’s offices. The airline has invested approximately 100 billion Korean won on design development and manufacturing facilities.

Korean Air currently manufactures and supplies wing tips for Boeing’s 747, 777 and 737, fuselage parts for Boeing’s 767.

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