Commenced operations 1948 Headquarters Seoul Fleet size 7 | Ceased operations 1962 (nationalized) Founded 1946 | |
 | ||
Operating bases Key people Shin Yong-Wook (Founder & CEO) | ||
Korean National Airlines (KNA) was the first (commercial cargo and passenger) air carrier in Korea. Established in 1946 and incorporated in 1948 in South Korea, and its first official passenger flight was from Seoul to Pusan on October 30, 1948 (which is now Korea's National Air Day holiday). The carrier was an international carrier – though it was privately owned by its Founding Chairman, Captain Shin Yong-Wook [신용욱]. It operated under the brand name Koreanair.
Contents
KNA operated from 1947 to 1950 with Stinson Voyager aircraft, suspended operations from 1950 to 1952 due to the Korean War, and resumed flying in 1952 with Douglas DC-3 and Douglas DC-4 aircraft.
In late 1961, many Korean industries, including transportation, were nationalized in an effort to spur the country's economic growth. However, Shin Yong-Wook challenged the government's authority to nationalize his company and KNA was taken over in a forced acquisition by the government in 1962.
Fleet
The Korean National Airlines fleet ultimately consisted of the following aircraft:
Two Fokker F.27 Friendships were on order by KNA at the time of its demise and were eventually operated by Korean Air Lines.
Destinations
KNA served the following destinations: