Korean Air prepares for Zagreb launch

Korean Air is preparing for the launch of its new scheduled service between Seoul and Zagreb in just over two weeks, with the airline satisfied with its current sales. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the carrier said, “Ticket sales and advanced booking numbers are in line with our expectations for this route and we are satisfied with its performance. We continue to promote Zagreb as our newest European gateway and are entirely focusing on commencing scheduled flights in September. After the route stabilises, we may consider to fly to destinations in Croatia other than Zagreb”. Korean tour operator KAL Tours and Hanjin Travel have contributed a large share of passengers to the new scheduled flights.

The Korean carrier is still negotiating an expansion of its interline agreement with Croatia Airlines in hope of securing a codeshare agreement. Korean Air will commence its three weekly flights to Zagreb with an Airbus A330-200 jet. It will initially deploy its Boeing 777-200ER on the route for the start of the 2018/19 winter season, which begins on October 28. However, the airline will then switch to the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner as of January 2, 2019. The two aircraft seat between 248 and 269 passengers. Korean Air will operate the return service from Zagreb to Seoul via Zurich over the winter months, however, the airline has not secured rights to sell tickets on the intra-European sector. “For the time being, it is impossible to purchase tickets from Zagreb to Zurich. However, we will consider ways to make it work in the future”, Korean Air told EX-YU Aviation News.