WORLD ROUTES: Korean Air Returns to Saudi Arabia

Korean Air is to resume flights to Saudi Arabia in what it said was a response to “the new Middle East boom”. The expansion of its network to the Middle East will see the introduction of a direct service, three times a week, between Seoul Incheon and Jeddah via Riyadh from November 9, 2012 using a 218-seat Airbus A330-200.

In a statement the airline said: “Historically Saudi Arabia and Korea have had commercial connections. In the 1970s and 1980s, the time known as the ‘Middle East Boom’ years, Korean companies won many valuable construction contracts, contributing greatly to Korea’s economic progress.”

In order to facilitate travel between the nations Korean Air at this time operated flights to Jeddah and Dhahran, the biggest markets in the region, but these schedules ended in March 1986. “The demand for plant construction in Saudia Arabia has once more increased and again Korean construction companies are part of the new boom with Korean Air expecting the demand for passenger traffic in the region to increase with high growth potential,” said the carrier.

Korean Air says it will work closely with local carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), a new member of the SkyTeam alliance, enabling it to offer passengers onward connections in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East. Saudia has previously served the South Korean market on a limited basis with flights to Dhahran and Riyadh from March 1983 to October 1987.

The table below highlights the estimated O&D traffic between Saudi Arabia and South Korea over the past five years and the largest operators on the route for connecting passenger traffic. The growth of this market is clear to see with traffic increases of 44 per cent, 30 per cent, 35 per cent, 27 per cent and 60 per cent in the past five years. It is also interesting to see how Emirates Airline’s control in this market has been eroded from a 61.0 per cent share in 2008 to 37.5 per cent last year, although it remains the market leader.