Korean Air plans to begin flying the A380 super jumbo jet between Atlanta and Seoul, the Atlanta airport's top executive said.
Louis Miller, general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International, said the A380 service could start as soon as January 2013. It "will enhance Atlanta's reputation as a world-class city and gateway to the United States," Miller said.
The Atlanta airport is working on some $30 million in improvements to prepare for the A380, including modifications to two gates on Concourse E and widening of taxiways and a runway.
Korean Air's A380s have 407 seats, and it plans for in-flight cocktail lounges and duty-free shops inside the planes.
The A380 debuted in 2007 and already flies to some other U.S. airports. According to Airbus, any airport that can handle a Boeing 747 can handle the plane, but airports are adjusting gate areas and widening runway and taxiway shoulders because the A380's engines sit so far out on the wings that they may kick up debris from the grass. Such debris can be sucked into aircraft engines or cause other damage.
Hartsfield-Jackson is paying for the improvements with passenger facility charges -- the $4.50 each passenger pays on top of the fare to fly from Atlanta.
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