Korean Air has ended the year on a high with the 30th anniversary of its first flights to China. In the three decades that have followed these services, China has become a key short-haul market for the South Korean flag carrier, with more than 20 destinations in the country now served by the airline. Korean Air is celebrating 30 years of Chinese flights with a range of commemorative events at airports.
30 not out
Yesterday marked 30 years since the first Korean Air flight to China, which operated between Seoul and Beijing on December 22nd, 1994. This was followed in the days immediately afterward with the launch of flights to Tianjin and Qingdao on December 24th, with Shenyang joining the party on December 27th of that year. Today, Korean Air flies to 21 destinations in China, serving 27 routes overall.
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Photo: Korean Air
To mark three decades of connectivity between China and the airline's South Korean homeland, Korean Air has been hosting a number of different commemorative events in the cities served by its first Chinese routes. Yesterday, on December 22nd, these took place at Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) and Shenyang Taoxian International (SHE), with the celebrations centered around two specific flights.
The services in question at the heart of the festivities were KE2202 from Beijing Capital to Seoul Gimpo (GMP) and KE832 from Shenyang to Seoul Incheon (ICN). While all passengers on these flights received commemorative tote bags, there was something extra special in store for the 30th passenger to check in on each flight, with these guests each receiving round-trip tickets for Prestige Class travel.
The celebrations will continue tomorrow
Tomorrow, Korean Air's anniversary celebrations will continue, with similar events planned in Tianjin and Qingdao. Once again, these will be centered around specific Seoul-bound flights, with the services in question being KE806 from Tianjin to Seoul Incheon and KE846 from Qingdao-Seoul Incheon. According to Flightradar24, these will be respectively operated by a Boeing 737 and an Airbus A330.
Photo: Korean Air
Yohan Park, who serves as Korean Air's Regional Director for China, welcomed the celebrations, stating that "these past three decades have been dedicated to building stronger links between China and South Korea, with service and safety excellence as our priority." He added that "Korean Air is committed to strengthening these ties and growing our presence across China" over the coming years.
The SkyTeam founding member already has a strong working relationship with the Chinese market, and its presence in the country isn't just limited to the flights that it operates there. Indeed, the national airline has "planted 1.57 million trees in Inner Mongolia's Kubuqi Desert since 2007" as part of its sustainability efforts, as well as donating "learning materials and resources to Chinese students" since 2008.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Aside from strengthening the ties between China and South Korea through the airline's sustainability and educational initiatives, there has also been a humanitarian aspect to Korean Air's work in the country. Indeed, the carrier provided "flood relief in Hubei Province in 1998 [and] emergency aid after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008," as well as donating medical supplies to Wuhan in 2020.
A considerable network
As previously mentioned, Korean Air currently serves 21 Chinese destinations across 27 routes, representing a considerable uptick compared to the four that it started off with 30 years ago back in December 1994. Capacity on these routes has almost recovered to pre-COVID levels, with the airline stating that it is at "approximately 95% of pre-pandemic capacity compared to December 2019 levels."
Current data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that Korean Air has scheduled 1,619 flights to and from China this month, offering 317,577 seats and 205,341,671 available seat miles as it does so. The number of flights is almost 20% higher than in December 2023, with 267 more being operated this time around. The top route is Seoul Incheon to Shanghai Pudong (PVG), with three rotations a day.