Korean Air to inaugurate duty-free shop onboard its first A380
16 Apr 2011
Flag carrier Korean Air is set to inaugurate the world's first inflight duty-free shop onboard its fleet of 10 Airbus A380 aircraft, the first of which will commence operations on 10 June.
The store, built by UK firm AIM Aviation and designed in partnership with beauty supplier L'Oréal, will occupy an area of 129 sq ft and offer cosmetics, fragrances, accessories and a limited selection of liquor to passengers.
Passengers will be called in groups, according to their flight class, to enter the shop and browse the products on offer. Orders will be placed with a crew member and delivered to their seats later.
The display will hold up to 64 individual stock keeping units, according to AIM.
According to AIM Aviation managing director, Peter Forbes, Korean Air worked closely with the design department of L'Oréal, which undertook the basic industrial design, which AIM converted into an engineering reality.
Forbes explained that the L'Oréal design team recognised the limitations and rules about creating a store inside an aeroplane and worked together with AIM Aviation to design the product in its current form.
