The carrier was due to receive the first of 30 MAX planes in May before the crashes led to a global grounding of the MAX

SEOUL— Korean Air Lines Co.’s new Chairman Walter Cho said the carrier still plans to introduce the Boeing 737 MAX into its fleet after two fatal crashes that have idled the fleet.

Mr. Cho said Korean Air would start operating the Boeing plane as soon as regulators clear it to fly again. The carrier was due to receive the first of 30 MAX planes in May before the crashes led to a global grounding of the MAX.

Mr. Cho, who took over as chairman after the death of his father in April, said he also was looking to move forward with the planned replacement with fleet modernization plans. Purchase announcements could be “imminent,” he said, without specifying what aircraft he wants to replace. He also said Korean Air could buy additional Airbus A220 planes. The carrier has ordered 10 of the planes and started flying the aircraft last year.

Mr. Cho said the airline was happy with the performance of the plane, though the repair and maintenance support for the aircraft in Asia could use improvement.

Excerpt from WSJ
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