On Saturday, June 12, 2021, Korean Air performed the longest nonstop flight since the company’s 1969 founding. The 13,405 km 777-300ER converted freighter flight between Seoul Incheon Airport and Miami International Airport lasted 14 hours and 32 minutes.
On Monday (June 14, 2021), Korean Air announced the completion of their longest nonstop flight in the company’s history, which too place on Saturday June 12, 2021. The flight was operated with a Boeing 777-300ER passenger-to-cargo converted freighter, carrying 25 tons of COVID-19 diagnostic kits destined for the Dominican Republic. Flight KE8047 departed Seoul Incheon Airport at 21:14 and arrived at Miami International Airport after flying 13,405 km (7,238 nm) for a duration of 14 hours and 42 minutes. Before this milestone, the carrier’s longest previous flight was between Incheon and Atlanta, a route of 12,547 km (6,775 nm) with a flight duration of 13 hours and 50 minutes.
Korean Air operates six weekly flights to Miami, the hub for South American routes, and the freighters usually make an interim stop in Anchorage, Alaska to refuel and change crew members. The carrier has been utilizing grounded passenger aircraft for cargo-only flights since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Korean Air has converted 16 passenger aircraft to freighters, including 10 Boeing 777s and six Airbus A330s, by removing the seats. Additionally, passenger seat bags (CSB) have been installed on passenger seats of two of the 777s. Between March 2020 and the end of May 2021, Korean Air has operated 8,300 cargo-only flights with passenger aircraft.
Source: Korean Air