Korean Air Lines’ newest aircraft will offer passengers a luxury in-flight experience on medium-to-long distance flights beginning April 2, according to the flagship carrier.

The new plane is an Airbus A330-300, which seats 272 passengers. It is highly fuel-efficient and can fly up to 11 hours covering 9,450 km. According to Airbus’ website, it also has the quietest cabin among twin-engine planes operating today.

Korean Air has fitted the plane out with its luxury Prestige Suites to make it more competitive among fliers who prioritize a comfortable in-flight experience. In addition to more space per passenger, the Prestige Suites maximize privacy and freedom of movement with strategic partitions between seats.

All seats will also be set up with an upgraded audio and video on demand system that is faster and more convenient than its previous entertainment systems.

The new Airbus will join Korean Air’s existing A330-300s to service destinations in Southeast Asia and Oceania with high tourist and business demand, such as Sydney, Brisbane and Singapore. It is one of three same-model planes that will join Korean Air this year, to bring the airline’s total number of A330-300s to 21. In all, Korean Air will add 17 new passenger planes to its fleet this year, including the three A330-300s.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)