Korean Air is set to upgrade European services during the northern summer of 2020. The changes will mean that the South Korean carrier will offer more seats to Europe than previously anticipated next summer.

Korean Air upgrades European services

According to Routesonline, Korean Air will increase services to the following European destinations in 2020:

  • Amsterdam, Netherlands, from March 29th, 2020, will see four-weekly Boeing 777-300ER services. From June 1st, this will increase to six-weekly services. The 777-300ER replaces the 777-200ER.
  • Barcelona, Spain, from March 31st, will see five weekly Boeing 787-9 service
  • Istanbul, Turkey, from March 29th, will be operated five times per week with a Boeing 777-300ER instead of a Boeing 777-200ER
  • Vienna, Austria, from March 29th, will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER instead of a Boeing 777-200ER four times per week. This increases to five times per week from April 27, 2020.
  • Vladivostok, Russia, will see Airbus A330-300 service instead of Boeing 737-800 from March 29th through May 31st, then A330-200 from June 1, 2020 until October 24th.
  • Zagreb, Croatia, will see Boeing 787-9 replace an A330-200 thrice weekly from March 31, 2020
  • Zurich, Switzerland, will see a 777-300ER replace 777-200ER thrice weekly from March 31
Korean Air Europe 787
The 787 will operate five times per week from Seoul to Barcelona. Photo: Boeing

It is refreshing to see Korean Air increase services to destinations across Europe without just bolstering services to partner hubs. While fellow Skyteam member KLM does have a hub in Amsterdam, Korean Air is also bolstering services to leisure destinations in Europe which eliminates a stop for passengers.

Korean Air
Korean Air can leverage connections through Seoul that will help fill more seats onboard its aircraft and avoid passengers from having to make another stop in Europe. Photo: Boeing

The service increases

Korean Air is capitalizing on high-demand travel to Europe during the summer season. A number of these passengers will likely be connecting through Seoul. However, due to Seoul's importance in the region for businesses, Korean Air can also capitalize on some of the business travelers looking to get to East Asia.

Korean Air 747-8I
Korean Air can offer passengers connections through a hub in Seoul-Incheon. Photo: Boeing

Unfortunately, Korean Air is not deploying any Airbus A380s or Boeing 747-8I aircraft on any of these upgrades. However, Korean Air could use some of the aircraft being replaced on these routes on some routes in East Asia. Although Korean Air has not announced any service swaps that explain how Korean Air found availability to Europe with these aircraft, it is likely that some seasonal service suspensions will allow for Korean Air to better manage its aircraft for increased capacity.

Overall

Airlines are bolstering their schedules in 2020. Korean Air is the latest in a list of carriers that have capitalized on increased tourist demand to not just major cities, but also secondary destinations across Europe.

Will you fly on any of Korean Air's Europe service upgrades? Let us know in the comments below!

Routesonline was the source for scheduling data and is linked above in the article.