How many employees work at Korean Air Lines?
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (003490) has approximately 18,503 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Korean Air Lines’s total headcount has grown 3.4% from 17,890 employees in 2023 to 18,503 in 2026.
Is Korean Air Lines hiring right now?
Yes, Korean Air Lines is actively hiring. Korean Air Lines had 57 active job postings in 2026, a 59.1% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Korean Air Lines’s Workforce
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (003490) is a Commercial Aviation company that employs 18,503 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 6th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1974, the company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea and trades on the Korea KRX Exchange.
Korean Air Lines's workforce has grown 3.4% from 2023 to 2026, up 0.3% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 17,872 in 2023 Q3 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in East Asia (68.1%), followed by Southeast Asia (11.1%) and North America (9.2%).
Korean Air Lines's functional groups are Finance and Operations (40.9%), Sales and Marketing (30.7%), and Engineering (28.4%), with Sales and Marketing growing fastest (up 1.0%). The average salary is $32,969, ranging from a median of $58,000 in North America to $5,000 in South Asia.
Korean Air Lines's active job postings rose 59.1% in 2026 to 57, with new postings per month climbing from 14 in 2023 to 49 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative and declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Ticker
- Korea KRX Exchange: 003490
- Headquarters
- Seoul, South Korea
- Founded
- 1974
- Industry
- Commercial Aviation
- Employees
- 18,503
- YoY
- +0.3% (-75)
As of March 2026
Korean Air Lines workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Korean Air Lines. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsKorean Air Lines Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- Korean Air Lines had 18,503 employees in 2026, a 0.3% increase (-75) from 2025.
- Korean Air Lines had 18,405 employees in 2025, a 0% no change (-27) from 2024.
- Korean Air Lines had 18,432 employees in 2024, a 1.3% increase (+520) from 2023.
- Korean Air Lines had 17,912 employees in 2023, a 0% no change (+42) from 2022.
Korean Air Lines's total workforce has grown from 17,890 employees in 2023 to 18,503 in 2026.
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 18,503 | -75 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 18,405 | -27 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 18,354 | +22 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 18,523 | +286 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 18,578 | +559 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 18,432 | +520 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 18,332 | +460 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 18,237 | +347 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 18,019 | +153 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 17,912 | +42 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 17,872 | +51 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 17,890 | +61 | +0.1% |
See Korean Air Lines's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataKorean Air Lines Employee Count by Region (2026)
East Asia accounts for the largest share of Korean Air Lines's global workforce with approximately 68% of total employees, followed by Southeast Asia and North America.
Korean Air Lines employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia | 12,585 | 68.1% |
| Southeast Asia | 2,052 | 11.1% |
| North America | 1,699 | 9.2% |
| South Asia | 546 | 3.0% |
| Western Europe | 425 | 2.3% |
| Southern Europe | 261 | 1.4% |
| Central and Western Asia | 208 | 1.1% |
| Northern Europe | 158 | 0.9% |
| Eastern Europe | 126 | 0.7% |
| Pacific Islands | 118 | 0.6% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataKorean Air Lines Employee Count by Department (2026)
Korean Air Lines's employee groups are Finance and Operations (40.9%), Sales and Marketing (30.7%), and Engineering (28.4%).
Korean Air Lines employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 7,199 | 40.9% |
| Sales and Marketing | 5,401 | 30.7% |
| Engineering | 4,992 | 28.4% |
Compare Korean Air Lines's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataKorean Air Lines Employee Salary by Region (2026)
Korean Air Lines's average employee salary is $32,969 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.8x the global average. Pay is lowest in South Asia, at a median of $5,000.
Korean Air Lines median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North America | $58,000 |
| Northern Europe | $55,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $46,000 |
| Western Europe | $43,000 |
| Arab States | $35,000 |
| East Asia | $28,000 |
| Southern Europe | $23,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $16,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $12,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $11,000 |
| North Africa | $10,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $9,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $8,000 |
| South America | $7,000 |
| South Asia | $5,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Korean Air Lines's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataKorean Air Lines Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- Korean Air Lines had 57 active job postings in 2026, a 59.1% increase (-6) from 2025.
- Korean Air Lines had 63 active job postings in 2025, a 103.6% increase (+43) from 2024.
- Korean Air Lines had 20 active job postings in 2024, a 14.0% decline (-3) from 2023.
- Korean Air Lines had 23 active job postings in 2023, a 48.6% increase from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 49 new roles/month, up from 43 in 2025 and 14 in 2024.
Korean Air Lines's hiring is accelerating: active job postings rose 59.1% in 2026 to 57, with new postings per month climbing from 14 in 2023 to 49 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataKorean Air Lines Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Korean Air Lines's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is negative and has declined year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Korean Air Lines
- How fast is Korean Air Lines growing?
- In 2026, Korean Air Lines's headcount grew 0.3% to 18,503 employees, down from 18,578 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are Korean Air Lines employees located?
- Most Korean Air Lines employees are based in East Asia (68.1% of headcount), followed by Southeast Asia and North America.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at Korean Air Lines?
- The average employee salary at Korean Air Lines is approximately $33k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does Korean Air Lines open per year?
- In Q1 2026, Korean Air Lines opened 148 new job postings. In 2025, Korean Air Lines opened 518 new job postings — about 43 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was Korean Air Lines founded and where is it headquartered?
- Korean Air Lines was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
- Compare Korean Air Lines to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about Korean Air Lines.
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