How many employees work at Korean Air Lines?
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (003490) has approximately 13,379 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 12,936 employees in 2023 to 13,379 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 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 13,379 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, though it is down 0.1% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 12,933 in 2023 Q3 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in South Korea (60.0%), followed by the United States (9.0%) and China (4.3%), with Japan, its fastest-growing location.
Korean Air Lines's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (40.9%), Sales and Marketing (29.7%), and Engineering (29.3%), with Sales and Marketing growing fastest (up 1.8%). Median employee tenure is 5.5 years. The average salary is $33,544, ranging from a median of $58,000 in Northern America to $5,000 in Southern 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 46 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative and declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
Korean Air Lines
workforce metrics
Headcount
13.4k
0.1% YoY
Avg. Salary
$33.5k
0.3% YoY
Tenure
5.5yr
0.2yr YoY
Growth Rate
-0.1%
3.4pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
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.
- Korean Air Lines had 13,379 employees in 2026, a 0.1% decline (-12) from 2025.
- Korean Air Lines had 13,250 employees in 2025, a 0.2% decline (-31) from 2024.
- Korean Air Lines had 13,281 employees in 2024, a 2.6% increase (+338) from 2023.
- Korean Air Lines had 12,943 employees in 2023, a 0.2% increase (+27) from 2022.
Korean Air Lines's total workforce has grown from 12,936 employees in 2023 to 13,379 in 2026.
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 13,379 | -12 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 13,250 | -31 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 13,183 | -47 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 13,364 | +216 | +1.6% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 13,391 | +432 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 13,281 | +338 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 13,230 | +297 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 13,148 | +212 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 12,959 | +21 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 12,943 | +27 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 12,933 | +37 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 12,936 | +23 | +0.2% |
Want to see Korean Air Lines's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
South Korea accounts for the largest share of Korean Air Lines's global workforce with approximately 60% of total employees, followed by the United States and China. Korean Air Lines's headcount in Japan is growing fastest among its major locations, up 10.7% year over year in 2026.
Korean Air Lines employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 8,039 | 60.0% | +0.9% |
| United States | 1,207 | 9.0% | -1.4% |
| China | 578 | 4.3% | +0.3% |
| Philippines | 353 | 2.6% | -7.0% |
| India | 298 | 2.2% | +0.1% |
| Vietnam | 280 | 2.1% | +0.2% |
| Japan | 246 | 1.8% | +10.7% |
| Thailand | 240 | 1.8% | -9.4% |
| Indonesia | 155 | 1.2% | +1.1% |
| Malaysia | 148 | 1.1% | -4.9% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
Korean Air Lines's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (40.9%), Sales and Marketing (29.7%), and Engineering (29.3%).
Korean Air Lines employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 5,233 | 40.9% | -1.0% |
| Sales and Marketing | 3,804 | 29.7% | +1.8% |
| Engineering | 3,749 | 29.3% | -0.3% |
Compare Korean Air Lines's department mix to industry peers.
Korean Air Lines's average employee salary is $33,544 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.7x the global average. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $5,000.
Korean Air Lines median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern America | $58,000 |
| Northern Europe | $53,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $45,000 |
| Western Europe | $43,000 |
| Arab States | $35,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $28,000 |
| Southern Europe | $24,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $16,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $14,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $13,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $10,000 |
| Northern Africa | $8,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $8,000 |
| Southern America | $7,000 |
| Southern Asia | $5,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Korean Air Lines's industry peers.
- Korean Air Lines had 57 active job postings in 2026, a 59.1% increase (-2) from 2025.
- Korean Air Lines had 59 active job postings in 2025, a 98.7% increase (+39) 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: 46 new roles/month, up from 39 in 2025 and 14 in 2024. New metric
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 46 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
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.
Similar Commercial Aviation Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is Korean Air Lines growing?
- In 2026, Korean Air Lines's headcount shrank 0.1% to 13,379 employees, down from 13,391 in 2025.
- Where are Korean Air Lines employees located?
- Most Korean Air Lines employees are based in South Korea (60.0% of headcount), followed by the United States and China.
- What is the average salary at Korean Air Lines?
- The average employee salary at Korean Air Lines is approximately $33.5k per year.
- How many people does Korean Air Lines hire per year?
- In 2026, Korean Air Lines opened roughly 552 new roles — about 46 per month.
- 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.
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