This article is about South Korea's flag carrier, Korean Air. For other airlines based in South Korea, see list of airlines of South Korea.
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
IATA
ICAO
Callsign
KE
KAL
KOREAN AIR[1]
Founded
June 1962; 61 years ago (1962-06) (as Korean Air Lines)
Commenced operations
March 1, 1969; 55 years ago (1969-03-01)
Hubs
Seoul–Gimpo
Seoul–Incheon
Focus cities
Busan
Jeju
Frequent-flyer program
SKYPASS
Alliance
SkyTeam
SkyTeam Cargo
Subsidiaries
Air Total Service
CyberSky
Global Logistics System Korea
HIST
Jin Air
Korea Airport Service
Fleet size
165[2]
Destinations
108[3]
Parent company
Hanjin Group
Traded as
KRX: 003490
Headquarters
Seoul, South Korea
Key people
Walter Cho (Chairman & CEO)
Revenue
US$29,760 million (2023)
Operating income
US$492,521 million (2023)
Net income
US$88,876 million (2023)
Total assets
US$224,351 million (2023)
Employees
20,000
Website
www.koreanair.com
Notes
Financials as of December 27, 2023[update]. References:[4]
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; Hanja: 株式會社 大韓航空; RR: Jusikhoesa Daehan Hanggong), operating as Korean Air, 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.
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.[5] Korean Air is a founding member of SkyTeam alliance and SkyTeam Cargo. It is one of the 10 airlines ranked 5-star airline, 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 in Seoul, South Korea. The airline had approximately 20,540 employees as of December 2014.[6]
The airline was once known as "an industry pariah, notorious for fatal crashes" due to its poor safety record and a large number of incidents and accidents.[7] The airline's reputation has significantly improved in recent decades as it has focused investment on improving its safety record including by hiring consultants from Boeing and Delta Air Lines.[8]
In November 2020, it was announced that Korean Air would seek to merge with domestic rival Asiana Airlines. The proposed merger has yet to be completed amid scrutiny from anti-trust authorities.
^"JO 7340.2J – Contractions – Including Change 1" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 10, 2019. pp. 3–1–53. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
^"Learn More About Us | Korean Air". Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
^"Korean Air on ch-aviation.com". ch-aviation.com. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
^"Investor Relations - Financial Report". Korean Air. December 27, 2023.
^"대한항공(A003490), 지분분석, 기업정보, Company Guide" (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
^"Who We Are – Korean Air". Korean Air. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
^Carley, William M.; Pasztor, Andy (July 7, 1999). "Korean Air Tries to Fix A Dismal Safety Record". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
^Yu, Roger (August 26, 2009). "Korean Air upgrades service, image". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
KoreanAir Lines Co., Ltd. (KAL; Korean: 주식회사 대한항공; Hanja: 株式會社 大韓航空; RR: Jusikhoesa Daehan Hanggong), operating as KoreanAir, is the flag carrier of...
of South Korea, operating under the South Korean Ministry of National Defense. Shortly after the end of World War II, the South KoreanAir Construction...
KoreanAir Flight 801 (KE801, KAL801) was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by KoreanAir, from Gimpo International Airport, Seoul to...
and incidents on KoreanAir and its predecessor companies Korean National Airlines and KoreanAir Lines. In the late 1990s, KoreanAir was known for being...
KoreanAir Flight 858 was a scheduled international passenger flight between Baghdad, Iraq, and Seoul, South Korea. On 29 November 1987, the aircraft flying...
KoreanAir Flight 631 (KE631/KAL631) was a scheduled passenger flight from Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea to Mactan–Cebu International...
[KoreanAir pioneers new air cargo market in Bangladesh] (in Korean). Korea Logistics News. 25 July 2013. "대한항공, 아랍 에미리트 및 벨기에 화물기 취항" [KoreanAir launches...
KoreanAir Lines Flight 902 (KAL 902) was a scheduled KoreanAir Lines flight from Paris to Seoul via Anchorage. On 20 April 1978, the Soviet air defense...
On September 11, 2001, KoreanAir Flight 085 (originating from Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea) was en-route to Ted Stevens International...
KoreanAir Cargo Flight 8509 was a Boeing 747-2B5F, registered HL7451 bound for Milan Malpensa Airport, that crashed due to instrument malfunction and...
KoreanAir Force may refer to: Korean People's Army Air Force, Air Force of North Korea Republic of KoreaAir Force, Air Force of South Korea This disambiguation...
Air Koryo (Korean: 고려항공; Hancha: 高麗航空; MR: Koryŏ Hanggong) is the state-owned flag carrier of North Korea, headquartered in Sunan-guyŏk, Pyongyang. Based...
merger of KoreanAir and Asiana Airlines is a policy announced by the Government of South Korea in November 2020, which would result in KoreanAir absorbing...
Air pollution in South Korea is an increasing threat to people and the environment. The air pollution comes from many sources, both domestic and international...
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was significant in the fact that it was the first war in which the newly independent United States Air Force...
Air Battle of South Korea was an air campaign early in the Korean War occurring roughly from 25 June to 20 July 1950 over South Korea between the air...
On 27 July 1989, KoreanAir Flight 803, a DC-10 crashed while attempting to land in Tripoli, Libya. 75 of the 199 passengers and crew on board plus 4 people...
KoreanAir Flight 2033 was a scheduled passenger flight from Seoul to Jeju, South Korea. On 10 August 1994, the Airbus A300 serving the route overran...
International Airport in New York City onboard KoreanAir Flight 086. KoreanAir vice president Heather Cho (Korean name: Cho Hyun-ah; later changed to Cho Seung-yeon)...
On 27 May 2016, a Boeing 777-300 of KoreanAir, operating as KoreanAir Flight 2708 from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Seoul's Gimpo International Airport...
KoreanAir Cargo Flight 6316 (KE6316/KAL6316) was a scheduled KoreanAir Cargo freight flight from Shanghai to Seoul. On 15 April 1999, the McDonnell Douglas...
KoreanAir Flight 8702, operated by a Boeing 747-400, departed Tokyo, Narita International Airport on 5 August 1998 at 16:50 for a flight to Seoul, scheduled...
Air Busan Co., Ltd., operating as Air Busan (Korean: 에어부산; Hanja: 에어釜山) is a low-cost airline based in Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea. It is a subsidiary...
Jeju Air Co., Ltd. (Korean: 제주항공), is the first and largest South Korean low-cost airline. It is also a founding member of the Value Alliance. Established...
Incheon KoreanAir Jumbos (Korean: 인천 대한항공 점보스) is a South Korean professional volleyball team. The team was founded in 1969 and became fully professional...
Global Information
US$29,760 million (2023)