Korean Air will fly its two largest passenger jets to London Heathrow Airport this summer.

Effective 26 March 2017, the national carrier will operate a mixed fleet on its UK route, comprising its 407-seat Airbus A380 and 368-seat Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental.

This will make Korean Air the first airline to fly the passenger version of the 747-8 to Heathrow.

“The UK market is now spoilt for choice for travel between the UK and Korea with the two aircraft operated by Korean Air on the route,” said Korean Air’s sales manager for the UK & Ireland, Peter Barron.

“Our A380 is always popular, offering everything the double-decker aircraft is famous for and more, as our design has the most spacious layout in the sky with just 407 seats in total; the upper deck can be compared to a business class only airline as it is configured as just business class.

“The B747-8i meanwhile, is a new addition to our fleet; this environmentally friendly, quiet aircraft has the very latest, superb interior and seats with a sophisticated inflight entertainment system. The B747-8i is a rare bird at Heathrow and hasn’t been seen there before in a commercial passenger capacity so I expect there will be some interest,” he added.

Korean Air operates daily flights between Seoul’s Incheon International Airport and London Heathrow. Flights depart the Korean capital at 1315 and arrive at Heathrow at 1725, before taking off again at 1935 and landing back in Seoul at 1435 the next day.

Heathrow CEO, John Holland-Kaye, welcomed the decision to fly the new 747 to his airport.

“We’re always delighted when the newest aircraft join the Heathrow fleet and the Korean Air 747-8i is no exception. As the first of its type at Heathrow… the aircraft’s arrival will make a tangible difference in helping Heathrow to become a cleaner and quieter airport whilst giving our passengers a top-notch in-flight experience on their journeys to Korea,” he said.