Korean Air's longest flight ever
Thanks to Covid-19, Korean Air flew its longest non-stop flight since its establishment in 1969 using one of the 16 passenger planes it has converted into freighter aircraft by removing passenger seats.
Flight KE8047, one of 8,300 cargo-only flights Korean Air operated since March 2020, left Incheon on 12 June at 9:14 pm and arrived in Miami after flying 13,405 km for a duration of 14 hours and 42 minutes. Until now, the carrier’s longest flight was its Incheon-Atlanta route (12,547 km in 13 hours and 50 minutes).
A B777-300ER was used on the nonstop flight to send 25 tons of Covid-19 diagnostic kits to the Dominican Republic.
Korean Air operates six regular flights per week to Miami, the hub for South American routes. Freighters usually make a stop in Anchorage to refuel and replace crew members. (ah)