Korean Air mulls 30-strong Boeing jet order as early as July

Korean Air Lines, a big buyer of Boeing aircraft, is planning to order up to 30 new jets from the US planemaker as soon as next month. Fresh from ordering almost three dozen rival Airbus SE jets, the Seoul-based carrier is now deciding between Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and additional A350s, Korean Air’s Chairman and CEO Cho Won-Tae said in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg on Sunday in Dubai. The choice will probably be made at the Farnborough Airshow, which kicks off in late July in the UK, and the decision is “more likely” to be the 787, Cho said. Any order would strengthen the beleaguered US planemaker, which has been beset by safety lapses and questions over quality controls in its manufacturing processes. “Boeing is a strong company,” Cho said. “I believe in Boeing management. They will pull through. It might take some time.” Korean Air has been on a jet buying spree of late to replace a lot of older aircraft. The carrier in March ordered 33 A350s and last year added 20 A321neos to bring its total backlog to 50 of the single-aisle jets. Along with Boeing planes, Korean Air has more than 140 new aircraft for renewal and expansion. The airline is also planning to order new freighters and is looking at Boeing’s 777X for that. Efforts to consolidate the number of aircraft types ahead of Korean Air’s merger with Asiana Airlines Inc. means Cho won’t consider the 777X “easily.” However, if the airline opts for Boeing’s yet-to-be certified jet for cargo, it would also order the passenger variant, he added.<br/>