Korean Air Lines will no longer use the English abbreviation KAL, which it has used for more than 60 years. It will use only the English name Korean Air, and in internal systems it will use KE, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) identifier.
According to the notice convening Korean Air Lines' shareholders meeting on the 25th, the company has placed on the agenda for the regular shareholders meeting next month an amendment to parts of its articles of incorporation related to its corporate name. The core is deleting the provision that specifies the abbreviation (KAL).
After the articles are amended, Korean Air Lines will also stop using KAL in the names of ancillary businesses such as the KAL limousine bus business and KAL cultural business. Instead, it appears that the official Korean name, Korean Air Lines, or the English name, Korean Air, will be used.
KAL was first used as the abbreviation for Korean Air Lines Corporation, launched in 1962, the predecessor of Korean Air Lines. Even after Hanjin Group acquired Korean Air Lines Corporation in 1969, KAL continued to be used and was included in the holding company Hanjin KAL.
Korean Air Lines is said to be dropping the time-honored abbreviation ahead of next year's integration with Asiana Airlines to make the recognition of Korean Air or the KE prefix attached to flight numbers more distinct through a brand overhaul.
Korean Air Lines had used KE even before deciding to remove KAL. In March last year, marking the 56th anniversary of its founding, it released the name of its corporate value system as KE WAY, and the name of the event announcing it was also "KE Rising Night."
Regarding the amendment to the articles, Korean Air Lines said, "As part of our corporations' logo (CI) and brand renewal, we intend to delete the abbreviation KAL."