Korean Air
Korean Air at a glance
Korean Air is the flag carrier of South Korea and, following its December 2024 acquisition of Asiana Airlines, the center of one of aviation's biggest mergers: the combined group of about 230 aircraft will rank among the world's ten largest airlines when integration completes around the end of 2026. A new corporate identity, the first in over 40 years, arrived in 2025.
From its Seoul Incheon hub, chairman and CEO Walter Cho's airline connects about 120 destinations with strength across the Pacific, where its joint venture with Delta anchors SkyTeam's largest market, and a cargo operation among the biggest in the world. New A350s and 787s are arriving to renew the merged fleet, which still includes one of the last passenger 747-8 operations anywhere.
Fleet
Korean Air runs one of the last passenger Boeing 747-8 fleets alongside 777s and a new generation of A350s and 787s arriving to serve the merged airline's needs.
| Aircraft | Role | Fleet Size |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 777-300ER | Long-haul backbone | ~25 |
| Airbus A321neo | Regional workhorse | ~20 |
| Boeing 747-8 | One of the last passenger 747 fleets | 9 |
Hub & route network
Seoul Incheon is Korean Air's global hub and one of Asia's premier transfer points between North America and Asia; the combined network with Asiana reaches about 120 destinations, with cargo among the world's largest operations.Alliance & partnerships
A SkyTeam founder, Korean Air flies a transpacific joint venture with Delta, its closest partner, which also holds an equity stake in parent Hanjin KAL.Group structure
Korean Air completed its acquisition of Asiana Airlines in December 2024 and is absorbing it, along with their low-cost units led by Jin Air, into a single mega-carrier, with full integration targeted around the end of 2026 under a new corporate identity unveiled in 2025.Full specifications
Latest Korean Air coverage from AeroTime
Frequently asked questions
The acquisition closed in December 2024, and Asiana is being absorbed into Korean Air as a single carrier, with integration targeted around the end of 2026 and low-cost units combining under Jin Air.
SkyTeam, which it co-founded in 2000, with a transpacific joint venture alongside Delta Air Lines, its closest partner.
Yes. Its Boeing 747-8s remain among the last passenger jumbo jets in scheduled service, flying premium trunk routes.