Joint event reinforces safety commitment before airlines combine in December

Employees from both carriers deliver safety declarations

Combined safety awards ceremony held for first time

Korean Air Vice Chairman and CEO Woo Kee-hong delivers opening remarks at the Safety Day event. [Korean Air]
Korean Air Vice Chairman and CEO Woo Kee-hong delivers opening remarks at the Safety Day event. [Korean Air]

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines held their fourth annual Safety Day event Friday at Korean Air's headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.

The event brought together about 200 employees from both carriers, including Korean Air Vice Chairman and CEO Woo Kee-hong and Asiana Airlines CEO Song Bo-young, along with staff from ground-handling subsidiaries Korea Airport Service and Asiana Airport.

This year's slogan — "One Team, One Safety" — is unchanged from last year, reflecting the airlines' goal of continuously deepening the integration of their safety cultures and embedding them across operations.

Employees from both carriers watched a safety video carrying the message "Remember, Learn, Act," reaffirming the foundations and importance of the safety cultures each airline has built over the years. The event also underscored both companies' commitment to maintaining strong safety standards after the merger.

Attendees then read aloud a joint safety declaration, marking a special moment of resolve ahead of the December merger. The declaration was organized around six principles: professionalism, accountability, consideration, cooperation, prevention and challenge.

In addition, both airlines held a combined edition of their "Beyond Excellence" safety awards ceremony, recognizing outstanding safety practices. Among the honorees, a Korean Air flight crew member received the top prize in the hazard reporting category — an in-house voluntary reporting system — for proactively flagging airport conditions that had not been captured in the original flight plan and ensuring a safe departure under a revised plan. Participants also shared notable safety and security practices from both carriers.

Earlier, both airlines ran a "Safety Week" across key worksites, beginning with a safety rally at Korean Air's Busan Tech Center on Monday and continuing through the week. Each division — passenger, cargo, cabin and maintenance — organized tailored safety activities and interactive booths suited to its own operational environment, while reviewing past safety cases through displays and videos to reinforce commitment to a safe workplace.

"This was a meaningful occasion to express our commitment to safety management and build a company-wide culture of safety awareness," a Korean Air official said. "We will continue safety culture campaigns to strengthen bonds among employees and lay the groundwork for an integrated safety culture."

Korean Air designated the last Friday of October as Safety Day starting with its inaugural declaration in 2023, choosing the date to coincide with Oct. 30 — Aviation Day in Korea and the anniversary of the country's first domestic commercial flight — as a symbol of its company-wide commitment to spreading a culture of safety.

Meanwhile, Korean Air has been carrying out a range of corporate social responsibility activities throughout October, including three career talks and mentoring sessions for youth on what it is like to work as a pilot or cabin crew member, as well as supporting visits to a children's safety experience center.


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