Korean Air is celebrating 15 years since the launch of regular flights between Prague and Seoul.  The route between Prague and Seoul is now serviced during the winter season by the latest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a capacity of 269 seats, and during the summer schedule a Boeing 747-8i with a capacity of 368 seats is used. Korean Air is one of the few airlines to offer Prague first class.

The inaugural flight landed in Prague on May 15, 2004. At that time, an Airbus A330-200 with 257 seats in two travel classes was used. Over the years on the Prague route, Korean Air has also used an Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300, Boeing 777-200ER, Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 747-400. In March 2014, the Airbus A380 was deployed on the line.

“The direct route from Prague to Seoul is one of the most important long-haul connections from Václav Havel Airport Prague, and also the oldest. Over 15 years of operation, more than 1.3 million passengers have flown with Korean Air on this route, and over 5,600 departures and landings by this carrier have taken place in Prague,” Václav Řehoř, Chairman Board of Directors of Prague Airport, said in a press release.

“As Prague is popular in South Korea, we can expect that the number of tourists from this country will continue to rise in the coming years. That is why I am pleased that in March, in cooperation with the Foreign Police of the Czech Republic, Korean Air and the Korean Embassy, we managed to put in place a new e-gate passport check-in system to make it easier for Korean tourists to enter the Czech Republic,” he added.

Yeong Ho Choe, Korean Air Regional Manager for the Czech Republic, said the airline was “very proud” to celebrate two important milestones this year: 50 years since Korean Air was founded and 15 years from direct flights to Prague. 

“The launch of the Prague line significantly contributed to the development of tourism and trade between South Korea and the Czech Republic, and I firmly believe that this trend will continue in the coming years. Prague is an important destination for Korean Air, as evidenced by the fact that we are deploying state-of-the-art aircraft from our fleet,” Yeong Ho Choe added.

A celebration of the anniversary took place at Prague Airport. In addition to regional manager Yeong Ho Choe, it was attended by J.E. Seoung-Hyun Moon, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Czech Republic, and Martin Kučera, Executive Director of Air Traffic at Prague Airport.

The flights between Prague and Seoul currently are scheduled on Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Korean Air was founded in 1969. It transported more than 26 million passengers in 2018 and is one of the top 20 global airlines. Korean Air operates over 460 flights a day to 124 destinations in 44 countries on five continents. It has a modern fleet of 167 aircraft and employs more than 20,000 employees worldwide. 

Korean Air’s main base is the newly opened Terminal 2 at Incheon International Airport in South Korea.

Korean Air is a founding member of the Sky Team alliance. In May 2018, Korean Air launched a joint venture partnership with Delta Air Lines in the Transpacific market.

Author: Raymond Johnston 

Picture: Prague Airport