Korean Air Co., Ltd. (KAL; ) is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin Group. Korean Air is a founding member of SkyTeam alliance and SkyTeam Cargo. As of 2024, it is one of the 11 airlines ranked 5-star airline by Skytrax,[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.
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.[8] 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 in Seoul, South Korea. The airline had approximately 20,540 employees as of December 2014.[9]
The airline was, around 1999, known as "an industry pariah, notorious for fatal crashes" due to its poor safety record and a large number of incidents and accidents.[10] The airline's reputation has significantly improved by 2009 as it has focused investment on improving its safety record including by hiring consultants from Boeing and Delta Air Lines.[11] In November 2020, it was announced that Korean Air would merge with competitor Asiana 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.[12][13]
History
Founding
In 1962, government of the Republic of Korea acquired Korean 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, the Hanjin Group acquired the state-owned airline and it is the beginning of Korean Air.[14][15] Long-haul trans-pacific freight operations were introduced on April 26, 1971, followed by passenger services to Los Angeles International Airport on April 19, 1972.[16]
Expansion
Korean Air operated international flights to destinations such as Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Los Angeles with Boeing 707s until the introduction of the Boeing 747
Corporate affairs and identity
Ownership
Korean Air is owned by Hanjin 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 is Delta Air Lines, at 14.90% ownership.) As of 5 June 2020, Hanjin KAL holds 29.27% of Korean Air shares.[8]
Hubs and headquarters
Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 is Korean Air's international hub.[49]
Korean Air's headquarters (대한항공 빌딩/大韓航空 빌딩) is located on the grounds of Gimpo International Airport in Gonghang-dong, Gangseo District, Seoul
Destinations
Fleet
Current fleet
As of January 2026, Korean Air operates the following aircraft:[72][73][74][75][76]
Fleet development
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 older Airbus A330, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200ER
Services
Cabins
Korean Air currently offers two types of first class, three types of business (Prestige) class, and one standard economy class, with First Class seats installed on all of its Airbus A380-800s, Boeing 747-8Is, and Boeing 777-300ERs. The airline markets Business Class as "Prestige Class", with Prestige class seats in some aircraft equipped as doored suites.[122] The airline announced its introduction of Premium Economy in 2017.[123] The first aircraft equipped with premium economy marketed as "Economy Plus Class" was CS300 (Airbus A220-300).[124] The premium economy product was eliminated in 2019 due to discordance of service and profit loss, but is set to be reintroduced through a retrofit of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with the older "Prestige Sleeper" business class product and marketed as "Premium Class" instead of "Economy Plus Class".[125][126]
Awards
- 2020 Skytrax Awards - 5-Star Airline Rating[130]
- 2021 Airline of the Year - Air Transport World (ATW)[131]
- 2022 Cargo Airline of the Year Award - AirlineRatings.com[132]
- 2022 Cargo Operator of the Year - Air Transport World (ATW)[133]
- 2023 Best Business-Class Seat Design - Global Traveler's Tested Reader Survey Awards
- 2023 Best Airline Cuisine - Global Traveler's Tested Reader Survey Awards[134]
Incidents and accidents
Safety has significantly improved since the 1990s as the airline has made concerted efforts to improve standards in the early 21st century.[19] In 2001, the Federal Aviation Administration upgraded Korea's air-safety rating while Korean Air passed an International Air Transport Association audit in 2005.[137]
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 as Korean Air Lines Flight 902 and the other as Korean Air Lines Flight 007.
Korean Air's deadliest incident was Flight 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 the Korean Air Flight 801 crash in 1997, which killed 229 people of the 254 people aboard including Shin Ki-ha, a South Korean parliamentarian.[138]
See also
- List of airlines of South Korea
- List of airports in South Korea
- List of companies of South Korea
- Transport in South Korea
Further reading
External links
References
- JO 7340.2J – Contractions – Including Change 1 Federal Aviation Administration, 10 October 2019, retrieved 22 November 2019^
- https://www.segye.com/newsView/20241211515409?OutUrl=naver 세계일보, Segye News, 12 December 2024^
- https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260312167600003?input=1195m