Clayton News Daily

Passengers will be able to travel from Atlanta to Seoul, South Korea, next year, on the world’s largest passenger jet, according to a spokesman at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Al Snedeker said Korean Air will offer a daily service between the two cities on an Airbus A380-800, starting in January 2013. From Atlanta, it will land at Seoul Incheon International Airport.

“It makes sense that the world’s largest passenger aircraft should have service, to and from, the world’s busiest airport,” said Louis Miller, aviation general manager at Hartsfield-Jackson. “A380 service will enhance Atlanta’s reputation as a world-class city and gateway to the United States.”

Snedeker said the airport has plans under way for the arrival of the double-decker aircraft, which include the widening of sections of taxiways and a runway. When the work is completed, the airfield will be up to par with the Federal Aviation Administration’s requirements for administering A380 operations, he said.

Snedeker said adjacent gates E1 and E3 on Concourse E are being altered to simultaneously serve the Airbus. Korean Air, he said, is presenting in-flight cocktail lounges and duty-free shops inside the aircraft.

The plane has the capacity to seat 407 passengers, including 12 in first class, 97 in prestige class, and 301 in economy class, he explained. The aircraft, which started commercial service in 2007, is 238.5 feet long and has a wingspan of 262 feet, he added.