Korean Air has delayed the resumption of its nonstop service between Seoul and Zagreb by a further three months, until September, as a result of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. The airline initially planned to reinstate operations between the two cities in June, however, bookings have now been closed until September 1. Once reinstated, flights are expected to run three times per week, departing the South Korean capital each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which has the capacity to seat 269 passengers. Although the route was turned into a predominately seasonal summer service last year, the carrier previously said it would consider extending flights into the winter months.

South Korea recorded its lowest number of new Covid-19 cases since February over the past weekend. However, Korean Air has been hit hard by the pandemic. The carrier will put 70% of its 19.000 staff members on temporary leave from April 16 until mid-October in response to "deteriorating business circumstances". The company has been taking aggressive measures to cut costs, such as putting 390 foreign pilots on three months of unpaid leave starting April 1. The national carrier has suspended more than 90% of its flights on international routes. In Europe, it currently maintains services only to Paris and London.

Alternatives from Seoul to the Croatian capital will be offered by Korean Air via other points in Europe until September. Earlier this month, Zagreb Airport, which is currently only served by Croatia Airlines and Eurowings, said, “We will see what happens with this entire situation. We sincerely hope that all of this will be over as soon as possible and for us to be able to resume normal operations to some extent in April”. The airport in Zagreb is currently the only one with commercial flights in Croatia and the wider region.