Korean Air is upcycling retired aircraft into limited-edition goods

How many times have you spotted the phrase ‘pull for life vest’ while seated on a plane? It’s probably so many you’ve lost count. But have you ever wondered what happens to that lifejacket when the aircraft is retired? What about the aircraft itself?

Korean Air has. However, instead of just focusing on sending everything off to the recycling plant, its team has also been thinking outside the box for ways to upcycle them too, giving travellers a chance to own a piece of aviation history in the process.

Take registration HL7715, for example. After clocking up an impressive 11,274 flights to 95 cities, the Boeing 777-200ER was given its gold watch and retired in March 2020. Rather than staying grounded though, parts of it are now flying once again in the form of limited edition upcycled luggage tags and golf ball markers – and they look pretty sleek.

Up for grabs now at Korean Air’s e-skyshop, the products are made from the skin of the fuselage, with shapes and colours varying depending on the part of the aircraft it’s taken from.

The luggage tags will set you back KRW45,000 (AUD $52), while the golf ball marker is KRW56,000 (AUD $65). Each one is engraved with the aircraft model and registration number, plus a unique serial number so you know which of the 5,000 tags or 2,000 makers you own.

On top of this metallic duo, the airline recently unveiled cosmetics pouches made of upcycled lifejackets, created in a collaboration with the popular Korean beauty brand ‘107’.

Inside the canary yellow pouches – of which just 2,000 have been crafted – are six travel-size skin care essentials: a facial cleanser, face mist and moisturising cream, plus soap, shampoo and a mask pack to keep you looking fresh on the ground and in the sky.

Made using solar power and biodegradable detergents, the cosmetics kits are available for KRW125,000 (AUD $145), with profits going to a global environmental organisation.

Of course, it’s not the first time the airline has released a bevy of repurposed products. Boeing 777 luggage tags debuted in January 2021 (and were quickly snapped up), followed by more tags and the arrival of golf ball markers from a Boeing 747-400 in September the same year.

Given the lifespan of a commercial aircraft is around 25 to 30 years, and current estimates put the number of combined aircraft now flying around the globe at more than 30,000, it’s a trend you can bet will take off as more steel birds are retired in the coming decades.

This article was produced in collaboration with Korean Air.