Korean Air will commence scheduled year-round flights between Seoul and Zagreb from September 1. In a statement, Zagreb Airport said, "We are proud to announce that from September 2018, Croatia and the Far East will be closer than ever. Korean Air, the largest air carrier from South Korea will connect Seoul and Zagreb three times a week year-round". It added, "Korean Air will be the third new carrier this year in Zagreb, following Aegean Airlines and Air Canada Rouge, to contribute to the growth of passenger traffic". As reported earlier this month, Korean Air was recently granted permits by regulators to launch up to five weekly operations to Zagreb.

Flights between the South Korean and Croatian capitals will operate three times per week, with the 218-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft, featuring six seats in first class, 24 in business and 188 seats in economy class. During the 2018/19 winter season, which begins on October 28, the airline will maintain a three weekly triangle service with the routing Seoul - Zagreb - Zurich - Seoul, although the carrier is unlikely to sell tickets on the intra-European sector due to stringent Swiss air traffic rights. The winter operation will be operated by the 269-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with the capacity to seat six passengers in first class, eighteen in business and 245 passengers in economy. It should be noted that Korean Air has the same seats in both first and business class on its A330s and B787s with the point of difference being the on board service. Further flight details can be found here.

Korean Air first and business class cabin

This May and June, Korean Air is maintaining charter flights between Seoul and Zagreb with its A330 aircraft, as has been the case for the past few years. In 2017, 444.132 Korean holidaymakers visited Croatia, representing an increase of 20.2% on the year before. Korean Air operates flights to a range of European destinations including Amsterdam, Prague, Frankfurt, Milan, Rome, Vienna, Paris, Moscow, Madrid, Barcelona, London and Zurich. The head of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, recently said, "This year we expect for the number of arrivals from South Korea to continue growing. We are increasing our promotional activities on this market since Korean tourists primarily travel outside the peak summer months, helping us extend the tourist season".

Korean Air's arrival is the latest scoop for Zagreb Airport after the French operator last year secured year-round flights from Dubai by Emirates and seasonal services from Toronto operated by Air Canada Rouge, which will launch this Saturday. Zagreb Airport's General Manager, Jacques Feron, said earlier this year that his team is working towards developing Croatia's busiest airport into a regional hub by attracting new carriers and cooperating closely with Croatia Airlines. Mr Feron noted that such a process would take time but added that the country's growing tourism industry would assist in achieving this goal. "I believe I would not exaggerate in saying that Zagreb Airport's future looks promising. Of course, we are benefiting from the continuous economic and tourism sector development in Zagreb. It is important to bear in mind that an airport like Zagreb cannot develop independently into a hub. We cannot simply decide on it alone. This process has to take place in close cooperation with other airlines, which results in transforming an airport into a hub. It is clear that this cannot happen overnight, but we are heading in the right direction. We are planning new destinations, and our future development is linked to Croatia Airlines' growth, which remains our most important partner and has the largest share in overall traffic.".