Korean Air has announced plans to purchase more than 100 Boeing aircraft in what it described as the largest aviation deal in South Korea’s history, just hours after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.
In a statement on Tuesday, the airline said it intends to acquire 103 next-generation aircraft from Boeing, along with spare engines from GE Aerospace, in a transaction valued at about $50 billion. Deliveries are scheduled to run through the end of 2030.
The order includes 20 Boeing 777-9s, 25 Boeing 787-10s, 50 Boeing 737-10s, and eight Boeing 777-8F freighters, according to the Seoul-based carrier.
The agreement was signed in Washington on Monday during a Korea-U.S. business meeting attended by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The announcement coincided with President Lee’s first meeting with President Trump, where both leaders discussed bilateral ties. It follows recent trade agreements and multibillion-dollar investment pledges between the two countries.
Tuesday’s deal builds on Korean Air’s earlier March 2025 agreement to purchase up to 50 Boeing aircraft in a package valued at about $32 billion, also involving GE Aerospace.
The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny of Boeing following a June 12 crash of a 787 Dreamliner in India that killed 241 people. A preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that fuel supply to the engines was cut off just before impact. In the aftermath, aviation regulators in India and Singapore ordered airlines to inspect fuel switches on several Boeing models.
