Korean Air mulls larger widebody aircraft for KL-Seoul Incheon route

Korean Air Lines Co Ltd is contemplating the use of larger widebody aircraft on its Kuala Lumpur-Seoul Incheon International Airport route, as passenger traffic rises and demand for Business Class seats increases. The airline's regional manager in Malaysia, Kang Sang Bum, stated that discussions are ongoing within the company, but no specific aircraft model or timetable has been determined.

Bum explained that the airline is seeking additional Business Class seats due to the popularity of this class among travelers from Seoul and South Korea. The current aircraft on this route is the Airbus A330, but a potential replacement could be the Boeing B787 Dreamliner. Korean Air has been operating in Malaysia for over four decades, with the inaugural Kuala Lumpur service launched in 1984.

Passenger numbers between Kuala Lumpur and Seoul Incheon reached 86,507 in the first half of 2026, a 13 percent increase year-on-year. Inbound traffic from Seoul to Kuala Lumpur was 40,027, while Malaysia-originated traffic to Seoul grew by 34 percent to 27,222. Bum added that the number of passengers traveling from Malaysia to South Korea increased by more than 10 percent, driven by travel to destinations such as Seoul, Busan, and Jeju.

The airline's planned integration with Asiana Airlines, completed on December 17, 2024, will enhance Seoul Incheon as a connecting hub for travelers from Malaysia. This integration will provide Malaysians with more options for connecting to smaller Japanese cities, such as Sendai and Miyazaki, which are currently served exclusively by Asiana Airlines.

Following the merger, Korean Air aims to improve connections from Kuala Lumpur to destinations in the United States, with an estimated transit time of about one hour and five minutes in Seoul Incheon for a connecting flight to Los Angeles and approximately 1.5 hours to New York JFK International Airport.