Korean Air

Is Korean Air safe?

Yes, today it is. Korean Air has not had a fatal passenger accident since 1997, and in December 2026 it absorbs Asiana, its long-time rival. We score it 84. It loses points for an A330 written offHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary at Cebu in 2022 and for an older long-haul fleet that delivery delays are keeping in service.

A changed airline

Korean Air's reputation still suffers from the 1980s and 1990s. On 6 August 1997, KE801, a Boeing 747-300, flew into a hill on a night approach to Guam, killing 228 of the 254 people on board. In 1999 it lost two freighters, an MD-11 near Shanghai in April and a 747 after take-off from London Stansted in December. Two other aircraft were destroyed by hostile acts: KE007, shot down by a Soviet fighter in 1983, and KE858, bombed by North Korean agents in 1987.

Since 2000, the record looks like that of any large, well-run airline. No passenger has died in an accident, and the cargo fleet has had no fatal crash either. That 25-year stretch matters more for a passenger today than what happened before most of the current pilots were hired.

The Cebu overrun

The one hull lossHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary in our 20-year window was KE631, an Airbus A330, on 23 October 2022. The crew tried to land at Mactan-Cebu at night in heavy rain and went around twice. On the second go-around, the main gear touched down before the runway, and the right gear hit a 15 cm step at the runway's concrete edge, damaging it and knocking out most of the brakes. On the fifth approach the aircraft could not stop, ran off the end of runway 22, struck the localizer antenna and stopped in the grass about 235 m beyond. Everyone on board survived.

The Philippine investigators blamed the captain's forward pitch input in the descent on the second approach, a gust, and the damage that followed. They also found a dormant brake failure and weak Airbus procedures for a low blue hydraulic fluid alert.

Other recent events are minor: a Boeing 737-900 tail strikeTail strikeWhen the tail of an aircraft touches the runway during take-off or landing, usually because the nose was raised too far or too early.More in the glossary during a go-around at Osaka Kansai in 2018, and two taxiway collisions, in which one Korean Air 777 was hit at Frankfurt in 2019 and another clipped a parked aircraft at Heathrow in 2022. In May 2025 the transport ministry fined Korean Air 133 million won (about $96,000) and suspended two engineers for 15 days, because they did not follow the manual during flap maintenance.

What Korean Air flies

Korean Air had 169 aircraft in May 2026, averaging 10.6 years, according to AviationOutlook. Long-haul flights use Boeing 777-300ERs and 777-200ERs, 787-9s and 787-10s, A330s and a few A350-900s. Short-haul flights use A321neos, A220-300s and 737s.

The four-engine jets are older than planned. In March 2025, Korean Air said it would keep its 7 A380s, then averaging 11.3 years, and its 747-8s until replacements arrive, because Airbus and Boeing are delivering late. Its chief executive said it was "short by about 20 aircraft per manufacturer". A large Boeing order, including 777-9s and 787-10s, is meant to replace them.

The Asiana merger

Korean Air bought a controlling stake in Asiana in December 2024. The two companies signed their merger contract in May 2026, and from 17 December 2026 they will fly as one airline under Korean Air's air operator's certificate, according to CAPA. Asiana's OZ flight numbers are being switched to KE numbers in stages through November and early December (Seoul to Seattle moved first, on 12 October 2026), and Asiana leaves Star Alliance on 16 December 2026.

For safety, the merger is mostly about systems. Asiana's crews, training and maintenance move into Korean Air's safety management system. Its A350s and A321neos fit well into Korean Air's fleet; its older 777-200ERs and A330s are the type of aircraft Korean Air is already trying to replace. Expect some disruption while two crew and maintenance systems merge, and expect Asiana-painted aircraft on KE flights for months.

How to fly Korean Air more safely

• Check the aircraft type when you book long-haul. The 787s and newer 777-300ERs are the younger aircraft; the A380s and 747-8s are now the ones staying on longer than planned.
• Follow evacuation instructions without your bags. In the Cebu overrun and many others, quick, orderly evacuations are why everyone survived.

How we scored it

The accident record (86) and environment (86) are strong. Oversight (84) is slightly below Japan's, partly because South Korea's ministry approved the concrete localizer berm at Muan that the Jeju Air crash hit. Serious incidents (78) and fleet (80) cost the rest. Compare Asiana Airlines, which scores lower because of OZ214 at San Francisco in 2013.