Korean Air partners with Boeing to enhance military helicopter maintenance capabilities

Korean Air has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Boeing regarding a technical cooperation to enhance maintenance capabilities for the Republic of Korea military’s vertical lift aircraft. 

Through the agreement, Korean Air and Boeing will cooperate in the maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) business with the main goal of upgrading domestic maintenance capabilities of rotary-wing aircraft, especially of the Apache Guardian and Chinook helicopters.

Korean Air, which has the largest performance improvement program and general maintenance depot for military aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region, has completed maintenance and performance improvement projects on more than 4,700 Korean and U.S. military fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters.

^{From left to right, Ms. Maria Lane, Vice President of Boeing and Mr. Soo Keun Lee, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Korean Air}

“The cooperation between the two companies will contribute greatly to enhance the domestic maintenance capabilities of the Korean military’s rotary-wing aircraft by combining the best aircraft performance and MRO technology provided by Korean Air, and the world’s best military aircraft technology provided by Boeing,” said Soo Keun Lee, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Korean Air.

Maria Lane, Vice President of International Sales at Boeing, also emphasized, “Considering today’s security environment, not only is the introduction of the aircraft important, but also, stable management and efficient operation technologies are critical.”

On top of providing support for Apache and Chinook helicopters, the two companies plan to jointly participate in the Korean rotary wing aircraft project, as well as actively expand its cooperation in other technical fields for the Korean military and overseas markets.

About Korean Air
Korean Air, established in 1969, is one of the world’s top 20 airlines and carried more than 27 million passengers in 2019, pre-COVID. The airline serves 120 cities in 43 countries on five continents; it has a modern fleet of 156 aircraft and employs over 20,000 professional employees. Its global hub is at Incheon International Airport (ICN) and its core businesses are passenger, cargo, aerospace, and aviation maintenance and repair.

 the SkyTeam airline alliance – 19 member airlines working together across an extensive global network to welcome 676 million customers each year on more than 15,445 daily flights to 1,036 destinations in 170 countries (pre-COVID.)

Korean Air’s joint venture with Delta Air Lines has produced significant expediency and access to hundreds of destinations in the Americas on Delta and 80 points in Asia on Korean Air. Korean Air and Delta co-locate in Incheon’s beautiful Terminal 2, making connections between Asia and America some of the industry’s quickest.

With more than 50 years of serving the world, Korean Air’s vision is to be a respected leader in the world airline community, dedicated to providing Excellence in Flight. Its commitment to airline safety, cleanliness and comfort are renowned.