INTERVIEW KOREAN AIR In Person with...
INTERVIEW COMPANY NAME
TRADE CONTACT:
www.koreanair.com
JEONG SOO (JAMES) PARK
Since the spring of this year, Korean Air now offers passengers the option of fl ights from both Heathrow and Gatwick
JEONG SOO (JAMES) PARK Regional Manager, Korean Air UK & Ireland
How long has Korean Air been fl ying from the UK? Korean Air commenced operations to the UK in 1988 to Gatwick prior to the Seoul Olympics. At that time we were operating three times a week between London and Seoul. We continued to operate at this level of service for a number of years and gradually expanded the frequency over the years. This culminated in a daily operation from Heathrow with the introduction of the winter 2004/2005 schedule.
Why did you add a Gatwick service as well as your existing Heathrow fl ights? The Air Service Agreement between the UK and South Korea was renegotiated and resulted in the level of services between the two countries being expanded. We were given the opportunity by the Korean Government to increase the number of operations to the UK. We eagerly grasped this opportunity in our number one European market and decided that London Gatwick offered the ideal chance to expand our point to point traffi c whilst retaining the strong interlining presence we have at London Heathrow.
How well are the two routes doing? In a challenging market we have done well but we notice that some seasonal variations are more apparent at Gatwick with our three times a week service. As stated previously we have developed Gatwick to handle a lot of our leisure-based clients from Korea, East Asia and other Asian points travelling to London. Meanwhile at Heathrow we have continued to operate a mixture of commercial and leisure traffi c to Korea and East Asia and using our Incheon hub for other points beyond.
Which aircraft are you using on the routes? Currently both routes are being operated by Boeing 777 equipment. We operated the 747 for many years but with the rising aviation fuel prices the 777 offers a more economical option.
What is the split between your leisure and business traffi c? At the moment the ratio is about 60% leisure and 40% business.
What is your view on the new London/Seoul competition? We are not surprised that it (British Airways) has returned to a market that it pulled out of in 1998. The only thing that surprises us is how long it has taken them to return!
47 December 2012 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
“We eagerly grasped this opportunity in our number one European market and decided that London Gatwick offered the ideal chance to expand our point to point traffic "
Do you plan any changes on your London/Seoul routes? At the moment we are operating to the optimum level permitted under the Air Service Agreement and the licenses awarded to Korean Air by the South Korean Government civil aviation authorities. Further expansion is not an option at this time. We are one of the launch customers of the Airbus A380 and currently have fi ve in service with fi ve more deliveries to come so one day it may be viewed as an option to bring the aircraft to London. These A380 aircraft are predominantly being used on North Pacifi c routes to New York and Los Angeles where they are serving the large and prosperous Korean communities in the USA.
How important are travel agents/ homeworkers to your business? It is extremely important for any overseas carrier to engage positively with the local travel trade in order to achieve
decent reach into a local market. We consider them as essential if we are to succeed in the second largest international IATA traffi c market in the world. They are therefore considered to be an extremely important part of our distribution network and will continue to be so.
Are you optimistic for 2013? Yes, we remain positive but are under no illusion as to the challenges ahead. We place a lot of faith in the recently signed trade agreements between the EU and South Korea. It is our opinion that the UK is working in a positive way to further develop the already strong trading links between the two countries and we look forward to making and developing our customary contribution to those trade links.
Korean Air offers UK passengers the choice of Boeing 777 fl ights to the colours of Korea from both Gatwick and Heathrow
KOREA TOURISM
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