 | |||||||
 Korean AirBoeing 777-300ER in 2025 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | June 1962; 62 years ago (1962-06) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1 March 1969; 56 years ago (1969-03-01) | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Focus cities | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | SKYPASS | ||||||
| Alliance | |||||||
| Subsidiaries |
| ||||||
| Fleet size | 167[3] | ||||||
| Destinations | 108[4] | ||||||
| Parent company | Hanjin Group | ||||||
| Traded as | KRX:003490 | ||||||
| Headquarters | 260 Haneul-gil,Gangseo District, Seoul, South Korea | ||||||
| Key people | Walter Cho (Chairman &CEO) Woo Kee-Hong (Vice Chairman) Yoo Jong-Seok (COO & Chief Safety Officer) | ||||||
| Revenue |  US$29.76 billion (2023) | ||||||
| Operating income | US$492.521 billion (2023) | ||||||
| Net income | US$88.876 billion (2023) | ||||||
| Total assets | US$224.351 billion (2023) | ||||||
| Employees | 20,000 | ||||||
| Website | koreanair.com | ||||||
| Notes | |||||||
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 대한항공 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 大韓航空 |
| Revised Romanization | Daehan Hanggong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Taehan Hanggong |
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (KAL;Korean: 주식회사 대한항공;RR: Jusikhoesa Daehan Hanggong) is theflag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by theHanjin Group.
The present-day Korean Air traces its history to March 1, 1969, when the Hanjin group acquired government-owned Korean Air Lines, which had operated since June 1962.[6] Korean Air is a founding member ofSkyTeamalliance andSkyTeam Cargo. As of 2024, it is one of the 10 airlines ranked5-star airline bySkytrax,[7] and the top 20 airlines in the world in terms of passengers carried and is also one of the top-ranked international cargo airlines.
Korean Air's international passenger division and related subsidiary cargo division together serve 126 cities in 44 countries. Its domestic division serves 13 destinations. The airline's global headquarters is located inSeoul, South Korea. The airline had approximately 20,540 employees as of December 2014.[8]
The airline was, around 1999, known as "an industry pariah, notorious for fatal crashes" due to its poor safety record anda large number of incidents and accidents.[9] The airline's reputation has significantly improved by 2009 as it has focused investment on improving its safety record including by hiring consultants fromBoeing andDelta Air Lines.[10]
In November 2020, it was announced that Korean Air wouldmerge with competitorAsiana Airlines, but was switched to only acquire a major stake after the original merger plan was blocked by the United States Department of Justice for monopoly concerns. The acquisition was completed on December 12, 2024.[11][12]
In 1962,government of the Republic of Korea acquiredKorean National Airlines, which was founded in 1946, and changed its name to Korean Air Lines to become a state-owned airline. On 1 March 1969, theHanjin Group acquired the state-owned airline and it is the beginning of Korean Air.[13][14] Long-haul trans-pacific freight operations were introduced on April 26, 1971, followed by passenger services toLos Angeles International Airport on April 19, 1972.[15]
Korean Air operated international flights to destinations such as Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Los Angeles withBoeing 707s until the introduction of theBoeing 747 in 1973. That year, the airline introduced Boeing 747s on its trans-Pacific routes and started a European service to Paris, France using the 707 and thenMcDonnell Douglas DC-10. In 1975, the airline became one of the earliest Asian airlines to operateAirbus aircraft with the purchase of threeAirbus A300s, which were put into immediate service on Asian routes.[16] In 1981, Korean Air opened its cargo terminal atLos Angeles International Airport.[13] Since South Korean aircraft were prohibited from flying in theairspace of North Korea and theSoviet Union at the time, the European routes had to be designed eastbound from South Korea, such asSeoul ~Anchorage ~Paris.
A blue-top, silver and redesignedlivery with a new corporate "Korean Air" logo featuring a stylizedTaegeuk design was introduced on March 1, 1984, and the airline's name changed toKorean Air from Korean Air Lines. This livery was introduced on itsMD-80s andBoeing 747-300s. It was designed in cooperation between Korean Air andBoeing. In the 1990s, Korean Air became the first airline to use the newMcDonnell Douglas MD-11 to supplement its new fleet ofBoeing 747-400 aircraft; however, the MD-11 did not meet the airline's performance requirements and they were eventually converted to freighters. Some older 747 aircraft were also converted for freight service. In 1984, Korean Air's head office was in the KAL Building onNamdaemunno,Jung District, Seoul.[13][14][17]
Korean Air was once notorious for its abysmal safety record and high rate of fatal crashes.[18][19][20][21] In 1999, Korea's PresidentKim Dae-jung described the airline's safety record as "an embarrassment to the nation" and chose Korean Air's smaller rival,Asiana, for a flight to the United States.[22]
Between 1970 and 1999, Korean Air wrote off 16 aircraft due to serious incidents and accidents with the loss of over 700 lives.[23] In the case ofKorean Air Flight 801, theNational Transportation Safety Board unanimously concluded that the airline's inadequate pilot training contributed to the pilot error that caused the fatal crash.[24]
In 1999,Delta Air Lines suspended its code-sharing relationship with Korean Air explicitly citing its poor safety record following the fatal crash ofKorean Air Cargo Flight 6316. It marked the first time safety was explicitly cited as the reason for stopping a major code-sharing alliance by an airline.[25] Other partners includingAir Canada andAir France followed suit.
In 2001, theFederal Aviation Administration downgraded South Korea's aviation safety rating and blocked South Korean carriers from expanding into the United States after the country and its carriers failed to improve sufficiently following a warning the previous year.[26] The move was driven by the country's lax oversight of its carriers including Korean Air.[27]
The rating has since been restored as the airline invested billions of dollars to improve safety, upgrade its fleet, install new technology, and overhaul its corporate culture including hiring consultants fromBoeing andDelta Air Lines.[10] In 2002, theNew York Times noted that Korean Air had been removed from many "shun lists".[18]
On 23 June 2000, along withAeroméxico,Air France, andDelta Air Lines, Korean Air founded majorairline alliance,SkyTeam andSkyTeam Cargo, founded on 28 September 2000.[23][28]
On 5 June 2007, Korean Air said that it would create a new low-cost carrier calledJin Air in Korea to compete with Korea'sKTX high-speed railway network system, which offered cheaper fares and less stringent security procedures compared to air travel. Jin Air started scheduled passenger service on July 17, 2008. Korean Air announced that some of its 737s and A300s would be given to Jin Air.
In mid-2010, a co-marketing deal with games companyBlizzard Entertainment sent a747-400 and a737-900 taking to the skies wrapped inStarCraft II branding. In August 2010, Korean Air announced heavy second-quarter losses despite record-high revenue.[29]In August 2010, Hanjin Group, the parent of KAL, opened a new cargo terminal atNavoiy International Airport in Uzbekistan, which will become a cargo hub with regular Seoul-Navoi-Milan flights.[30]
In 2013, Korean Air acquired a 44% stake inCzech Airlines.[31] It sold the stake in October 2017. On 1 May 2018, the airline launched ajoint venture partnership withDelta Air Lines.[32]
In 2019, Korean Air began playing asafety video with theK-pop groupSuperM.[33] It featured the song "Let's go everywhere", which was to be released as a single.[34] The airline also featured the group on a livery sported by aBoeing 777-300ER, with registration HL8010.[35][36]
In 2023, Korean Air was certified a 5-star Airline bySkytrax, an air transport rating organization.[37]
Cho Hyun-Ah, also known as "Heather Cho", is the daughter of then-chairmanCho Yang-ho. She resigned from some of her duties in late 2014 after she ordered a Korean Air jet to return to the gate to allow a flight attendant to be removed from the aircraft. The attendant had served Cho nuts in a bag instead of on a plate. As a result of further fallout, Cho Hyun-Ah was later arrested by Korean authorities for violating South Korea's aviation safety laws.[38]
In November 2020 during theCOVID-19 pandemic, theSouth Korean Government officially announced that Korean Air will acquireAsiana Airlines.[39] TheMinistry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea will integrate subsidiariesAir Busan,Air Seoul, andJin Air to form a combined low-cost carrier which will focus on regional airports in Korea.[40]
In March 2021, KAL announced the merger with Asiana Airlines will be delayed as foreign authorities have not approved the deal.[41][42] As of 2023, the deal has not been completed as essential countries have approached the deal with skepticism.[43]
On 12 December 2024, Reuters reported that Korean Air had announced the completion of the purchase of debt-laden Asiana Airlines in a deal worth 1.5 trillion won (USD 1.6 billion). The deal enables Korean Air to acquire 63.88% of the second-largest airline in the country, becoming the 12th largest airline in the world by international capacity.[44]
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On 11 March 2025, as part of its merger with Asiana Airlines, in which the latter brand will be fully absorbed in 2027,[45] Korean Air unveiled its first major corporate rebrand since 1984. The rebranding was done in partnership with design agencyLippincott[46] and saw the existing "Taegeuk" symbol lose its blue and red color palette in favor of outlined monochromatic dark blue color of the same symbol.[47] It also replaced the wordmark "KOREAN AIR" written in a modifiedCooper Black typeface with a sans-serif version named "Hanjin Group Sans" designed byDalton Maag for the same wordmark (in the case of aircraft liveries, the wordmark is just "KOREAN").[46] Lippincott notes that reinterpreting the Taegeuk symbol and removing it from the logotype enhances its visibility, and its calligraphic brush-strokes style adds elegance to the new identity.[46] Meanwhile, the new uniforms for Korean and Asiana employees signifying the unified "Korean Air" brand will be introduced in 2027.[48]
Korean Air is owned byHanjin Group and it is majority controlled by Hanjin KAL Corporation.Walter Cho, its current chairman and CEO, is the third generation of the family who controls Hanjin KAL to lead the airline. (Hanjin KAL's largest shareholder isDelta Air Lines, at 14.90% ownership.) As of 5 June 2020, Hanjin KAL holds 29.27% of Korean Air shares.[6]
Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 is Korean Air's international hub.[citation needed]
Korean Air's headquarters (대한항공 빌딩/大韓航空 빌딩) is located on the grounds ofGimpo International Airport inGonghang-dong,Gangseo District, Seoul.[49] The company also maintains a satellite headquarters campus atIncheon.[citation needed]
Korean Air's other hubs are atJeju International Airport,Jeju andGimhae International Airport,Busan.[15] The maintenance facilities are located in Gimhae International Airport. The majority of Korean Air's pilots, ground staff, and flight attendants are based in Seoul and Busan.[citation needed]
Korean Air has been cited as one of the examples of the South Korean "chaebol" system, wherein corporate conglomerates, established with government support, overreach diverse branches of industry. For much of the time between the foundation of Korean Air as Korean National Airlines in 1946 and the foundation ofAsiana Airlines in 1988, Korean Air was the only airline operating in South Korea.
The process of the sale of Korean National Airlines to Hanjin in 1969 was supported byPark Chung Hee, the South Korean military general-turnedpresident who seized power of the country through a military coup d'état; and the monopoly of the airline was secured for two decades until hisassassination in 1979.
After widening the chaebol branches, the subsidiary corporations of Korean Air include marine and overland transportation businesses, hotels, and real estate among others; and the previous branches included heavy industry, passenger transportation, construction, and a stockbroking business. The nature of the South Korean chaebol system involves nepotism. A series of incidents involving Korean Air in the 2000s have "revealed an ugly side of the culture within chaebols, South Korea's giant family-run conglomerates".[50]
Korean Air owns four hotels: two KAL hotels on Jeju Island, the Hyatt in Incheon, and a hotel/office building called theWilshire Grand Tower in Los Angeles. This building in downtown Los Angeles houses the largestInterContinental Hotel in the Americas in what is thetallest building in Los Angeles.[51]
Korean Air is also involved in aerospace research and manufacturing. The division, known as the Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD), has manufactured licensed versions of theMD Helicopters MD 500 andSikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, as well as theNorthrop F-5E/F Tiger II fighter aircraft,[52] the aft fuselage and wings for theKF-16 fighter aircraft manufactured byKorean Aerospace Industries and parts for various commercial aircraft including the Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner; and the Airbus A330 and Airbus A380.[53] In 1991, the division designed and flew theKorean Air Chang-Gong 91 light aircraft. KAA also provides aircraft maintenance support for the United States Department of Defense in Asia and maintains a research division with focuses on launch vehicles, satellites, commercial aircraft, military aircraft, helicopters, and simulation systems.[54]
In October 2012, a development deal betweenBombardier Aerospace and a government-led South Korean consortium was announced, aiming to develop a 90-seatturbopropregional airliner, targeting a 2019 launch date. The consortium would have includedKorea Aerospace Industries and Korean Air.[55] While this plan did not come to fruition, in 2019, Korean Aerospace Industries nevertheless decided to conduct a two-year study to assess the feasibility of taking the lead on building a turboprop airliner.[56]
Korean Air hascodeshare agreements with the following airlines:[57][58]
Korean Air hasinterline agreements with the following airlines:
Korean Air is also an airline partner ofSkywards, the frequent-flyer program forEmirates.Skywards members can earn miles for flying Korean Air and can redeem miles for free flights.
As of April 2025[update], Korean Air operates the following aircraft:[70][71][72]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | P | E | Total | ||||
| Airbus A220-300 | 10 | — | — | — | 140 | 140 | Order with 10 options and 10 purchase rights.[73] |
| Airbus A321neo | 15 | 41 | — | 8 | 174 | 182 | Order with 20 options.[74][75][76] |
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 242 | 250 | [77] |
| Airbus A330-300 | 19 | — | — | 24 | 248 | 272 | |
| 24 | 252 | 276 | |||||
| 260 | 284 | ||||||
| Airbus A350-900 | 2 | 4 | — | 28 | 283 | 311 | Deliveries started in January 2025.[78][79] |
| Airbus A350-1000 | — | 27 | TBA | [78] | |||
| Airbus A380-800 | 7 | — | 12 | 94 | 301 | 407 | Originally planned to be retired in 2026.[80] Currently postponed.[81] |
| Boeing 737-800 | 2 | — | — | 12 | 126 | 138 | |
| Boeing 737-900 | 9 | — | — | 8 | 180 | 188 | |
| Boeing 737-900ER | 6 | — | — | 8 | 165 | 173 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 5 | 24 | — | 8 | 138 | 146 | Order with 20 options.[82][83] |
| 150 | 158 | ||||||
| 1 | VIP | Leased toRepublic of Korea Air Force forVIP transport.[84] | |||||
| Boeing 747-8I | 6 | — | 6 | 48 | 314 | 368 | Includes HL7644, the last passenger747 ever built.[85] |
| 1 | VIP | Leased to Republic of Korea Air Force for VIP transport. | |||||
| Boeing 777-300 | 4 | — | — | 41 | 297 | 338 | |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 25 | — | 8 | 42 | 227 | 277 | All to be retrofitted with new Prestige Suites 2.0 and have Kosmo Suites removed.[86] |
| 8 | 56 | 291 | |||||
| Boeing 777-9 | — | 20 | TBA | Deliveries from 2028.[87] | |||
| Boeing 787-9 | 14 | 6[88][89] | — | 24 | 245 | 269 | Order with 10 options.[90] Order was converted fromBoeing 787-8.[91][92] |
| 254 | 278 | ||||||
| Boeing 787-10 | 7 | 33[88] | — | 36 | 289 | 325 | Order with 10 options.[87] |
| Korean Air Cargo fleet | |||||||
| Boeing 747-400ERF | 4 | — | Cargo | ||||
| Boeing 747-8F | 7 | — | Cargo | ||||
| Boeing 777F | 12 | — | Cargo | ||||
| Korean Air Business Jet fleet[93][94] | |||||||
| AgustaWestland AW139 | 4 | — | 8–14 | ||||
| Airbus Helicopters H160-B | 1 | — | 6 | [95] | |||
| Boeing 737-700/BBJ1 | 1 | — | 16–26 | ||||
| Boeing 787-8/BBJ | 1 | — | 39 | [96][97] | |||
| Bombardier Global Express XRS | 1 | — | 13 | ||||
| Gulfstream G650ER | 1 | — | 13 | [98] | |||
| Sikorsky S-76C+ | 1 | — | 5–6 | ||||
| Total | 167 | 155 | |||||
At the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines Assembly in 2018, Korean Air announced that it was considering a new large wide-body aircraft order to replace olderAirbus A330,Boeing 747-400,Boeing 777-200ER, andBoeing 777-300. Types under consideration for replacement of older wide-body aircraft in the fleet include theBoeing 777X andAirbus A350 XWB.[99] At theInternational Air Transport Association Annual General Meeting (IATA AGM) in Seoul, Chairman Walter Cho said Korean Air's wide-body order is imminent and it is considering an extra order ofAirbus A220 aircraft including the developing version Airbus A220-500.[100]
In 2022, Korean Air was considering ordering a new freighter to continue the support cargo demand worldwide. Chairman of Korean Air Walter Cho said KAL is considering two options.[101][102]
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Korean Air has operated the following aircraft:[103][104][105][106]
Korean Air currently offers three types of first class, four types of business (Prestige) class, and one standard economy class.[112] Korean Air operates First Class on all of its Airbus A380-800s, Boeing 747-8Is, and part of its Boeing 777-300ER fleet. Some seats are equipped as suites with doors.[citation needed] The airline markets Business Class as "Prestige Class", with some aircraft equipped with suites.[citation needed] The airline announced its introduction of Premium Economy in 2017.[113] The first aircraft equipped with premium economy marketed as "Economy Plus" was CS300 (Airbus A220-300).[114] The product was eliminated in 2019 due to discordance of service and profit loss.[115][116] The airline also offers Economy Class.
Korean Air offers a diverse in-flight catering service, providing passengers with a selection of both traditionalKorean dishes andWestern meals. The airlines also providesChinese cuisine on certain flights. The specific offerings can vary depending on the flight route and class of service. In Economy Class, passengers can enjoy Korean options likebibimbap, served withgochujang and sesame oil, or bulgogi rice, while Western selections include grilled beef tenderloin and roasted cod. Chinese options include stir fried snapper with chili sauce. Prestige Class (Business Class) enhances these offerings with options like tuna bibimbap, Korean spicy seafood stew and upgraded versions of Western meals with enhanced presentation and sides. Stir fried ling fish with oyster sauce is available as one of the Chinese options. First Class provides premium dishes such as Korean spicy pork, spicy beef short ribs with bulgogi sauce, and braised pork belly. Western options include veal chop with madeira sauce and seared monkfish with orang teriyaki sauce, and sirloin steak. Previously, Korean Air offered instant cup noodles as a mid-flight snack in Economy Class. However, due to safety concerns related to turbulence, this option has been discontinued.[117] However, in Business and First Class cabins, the option to order instant noodles remains available. Alternative snacks such as pizza, sandwiches, corn dogs, and hot pockets are now available at a snack bar for Economy Class passengers.
Korean Air’s business class offers high-quality in-flight entertainment with large personal screens, varying by aircraft. TheBoeing 787-10 Dreamliner features 23.8-inch UHD monitors,[118] while theAirbus A321neo has 24-inch 4K screens with Bluetooth support. Other aircraft, like theBoeing 777 and 787-9, have 15.4-inch to 18-inch screens, depending on the seat type.
The entertainment system provides a diverse selection of movies, TV shows, dramas, music (including K-pop and classical), and interactive games. Some aircraft offer Bluetooth connectivity for wireless headphones and Wi-Fi for internet access.
Safety has significantly improved since the 1990's as the airline made concerted efforts to improve standards in the early 21st century.[18] In 2001, theFederal Aviation Administration upgraded Korea's air-safety rating while Korean Air passed anInternational Air Transport Association audit in 2005.[21]
Between 1970 and 1999, many fatal incidents occurred. Since 1970, 17 Korean Air aircraft have been written off in serious incidents and accidents with the loss of 700 lives. Two Korean Air aircraft were shot down by the Soviet Union for violating Soviet airspace, one operating asKorean Air Lines Flight 902 and the other asKorean Air Lines Flight 007.
Korean Air's deadliest incident wasFlight 007 which was shot down by the Soviet Union on September 1, 1983. All 269 people on board were killed, including a sitting U.S. Congressman,Larry McDonald.
The last fatal passenger accident was theKorean Air Flight 801 crash in 1997, which killed 229 people of the 254 people aboard includingShin Ki-ha, a South Korean parliamentarian.[126][127][128] TheNational Transportation Safety Board concluded that poor communication between the flight crew as the probable cause for the air crash, along with the captain's poor decision-making on thenon-precision approach.[129][130][131][132]
The last crew fatalities were in the crash ofKorean Air Cargo Flight 8509 in 1999 due to instrument malfunction andpilot error.[133][134]
The last aircraftwrite-off occurred in 2022, whenKorean Air Flight 631 overran the runway atCebu,Philippines while attempting to land under poor weather conditions.[135]
In a 2023 "landmark decision", the state-affiliated Korea Worker's Compensation and Welfare Service ruled that the cancer death of a flight attendant was akin to anindustrial accident. The plaintiff had flown for 25 years on routes to Europe and America, which exposed workers to morecosmic radiation becauseEarth's magnetic field is weaker over theNorth Pole. Korean Air said it monitors and limits individual radiation exposure to less than 6mSv a year. The plaintiff's attorney contends that the company uses an old measuring method. The ruling panel said that the method employed by Korean Air could have downplayed the extent of radiation exposure and that the flight attendant could have been exposed to over 100mSv of radiation.[136]
Media related toKorean Air at Wikimedia Commons
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