Korean Air To Resume More European Routes In March

Korean Air is ramping up its services in Europe ahead of this summer. From March, the carrier will reconnect Seoul-Incheon (ICN) with four continental European destinations; Prague (PRG), Zurich (ZRH), Istanbul (IST), and Madrid (MAD).

Long-awaited return

After the nearly three-year pandemic-induced hiatus, Korean Air is scaling back up in Europe as it rebuilds its global network. The four selected services in Czechia, Switzerland, Turkey, and Spain are popular tourist destinations with Koreans, owing to their heritage sites, culture, and stunning scenery.

First on the list in Prague, beginning March 27. Flights are set to depart from Incheon at 12:45 KST on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, touching down in the Czech capital at 16:45 CET. The return service will leave for Korea at 18:50 CET, arriving in Seoul at 11:50 KST the following morning.

Photo: Alexander Gatsenko / Shutterstock

On March 28, the carrier will relaunch its Zurich service with three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Korean Air’s outbound service will leave Incheon at 12:20 KST, arriving in Switzerland at 17:30 CET. Inbound, the flight will depart Zurich at 19:30 CET, again arriving the following day at 13:35 KST.

Summer schedules

Moving into April, Korean Air is set to resume scheduled services to Istanbul from April 24. During 2022, the airline operated a weekly non-scheduled service to connect Korean holidaymakers with their favorite tourist destinations in Turkey, including Istanbul, Cappadocia, and Antalya. With demand remaining consistent, Korean Air will offer three weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, departing at 13:40 KST to arrive in Istanbul at 19:40 TRT. The return flight is scheduled to depart Istanbul at 21:20 TRT, landing at Incheon at 13:25 KST (+1).

The final connection, Incheon – Madrid, will launch on April 25, with three weekly services on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Flights depart Seoul at 11:35 KST, arriving in Madrid at 18:00 CET. The service returns to Seoul the same evening at 20:00 CET, landing in Korea at 15:55 KST (+1). The flights will complement Korean Air’s pre-existing Incheon – Barcelona (BCN) service, which resumed in September 2022.

Photo: Media_works / Shutterstock

Rebuilding capacity

The airline has been steadily rebuilding its network map as it makes headway with its post-pandemic recovery plans. After resuming a range of European destinations in summer 2022 – including a brand-new Budapest (BUD) route – Korean Air set out to expand its Asian and Middle Eastern offerings in October and November as travel restrictions began to relax. Several popular routes, including Shanghai (PVG), Phuket (HKT), Dubai (DBX), and Tel Aviv (TLV), were readded to the carrier’s roster.

As of January 2023, the airline offers flights to 107 cities across 42 countries, excluding its 13 domestic connections. Korean Air is set to continue monitoring demand and adding further destinations throughout the year.

“The European market is recovering faster than expected, and we are seeing a strong comeback in travel demand,” explained General Director of Korean Air’s Western Europe Market Jumin Kim in July 2022.

“We will continue to closely monitor market trends and reinstate our remaining network accordingly as we work towards full recovery.”

Will you be flying to Europe with Korean Air this summer? What other destinations would you like to see the carrier add? Let us know in the comments.