Korean Air has been one of the unintentional beneficiaries of the middle eastern disruptions of 2026. The airline as other East Asian carriers has experienced a lift in passenger traffic which has rerouted and changed plans to avoid the middle eastern hubs. Australia is one of the territories that has generated most of the additional demand and looking to better serve the market Korean Air is rebooting its Seoul Melbourne flights in late 2026.
In this post:
- Korean Air Riding the Wave of Australian Traffic
- KE409 Timings and Flight Details
- Korean Air’s Australia Network Grows to 3
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Korean Air Riding the Wave of Australian Traffic
Australia is one of the most isolated regions in the world with a population which heavily relies on air travel. Family and economic ties with Europe are still strong for many individuals and businesses and that makes Australia a fantastic market for long-haul air travel.
In the last few decades carriers from the Middle East have been the most aggressive in catering to this specific need, massively growing their presence in the country.
However the events of early 2026 in the Gulf region forced or discouraged travelers from crossing the region on trips to Europe. East Asian carriers were the beneficiaries of the rerouted traffic, with among them Korean Air and its home airport Seoul Incheon (ICN).
Both the airline and the airport have experienced a significant uptick in passenger traffic during 2026 with Australia being the country contributing the most.
That’s why Korean Air is looking to reactivate its Seoul to Melbourne service KE409 in late 2026, albeit as a seasonal presence in the airline’s schedule.
Korean Air KE409 Timings and Flight Details
The flight will operate 3 times per week, every:
- Wednesday
- Friday
- Sunday
KE409 will launch on December 18th 2026 and operate its last seasonal service on March 14th 2027.
| Route | Codes | Flight No. | Departure | Arrival | Days of Operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul – Melbourne | ICN-MEL | KE409 | 08:00 | 20:30 | Wed, Fri, Sun |
| Melbourne – Seoul | MEL-ICN | KE410 | 22:00 | 07:35 (+1) | Wed, Fri, Sun |
The flight will operate on one of Korean Air’s Boeing 787-9s which come in a two class configuration:
| Config. 1 | Seats | Layout | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Class | 24 | 2-2-2 | B/E Aerospace Apex |
| Economy Class | 245 | 3-3-3 | Safran Z300 |
| Config. 2 | Seats | Layout | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Class | 24 | 2-2-2 | B/E Aerospace Apex |
| Economy Class | 254 | 3-3-3 | Safran Z300 |
The seats on these planes in Business class are the older version of Korean Air’s Prestige class (Business Class). They are the B/E Aerospace Apex seat which is an extremely comfortable and private seat, but come in a 2-2-2 layout. That means that space is slightly tighter than found on the 1-2-1 layout of the Boeing 787-10 with the Prestige 2.0 version.
Despite the 2-2-2 layout, all passengers have direct aisle access with window-side seats having their own passageway to the aisle.
Korean Air’s Australia Network Grows to 3 For Winter 2026
With Melbourne entering as a seasonal destination Korean Air will grow its Australian destination network to 3 cities in winter of 2026. The airline already operates year-round services to Brisbane and Sydney.
| Flights | Route | Codes | Aircraft | Weekly Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KE407 | Seoul-Brisbane | ICN-BNE | Boeing 787-9 | 3x |
| KE401 | Seoul-Sydney | ICN-SYD | Boeing 787-10 | 7x |
The returning Melbourne KE409 service will share the same aircraft type with KE407 to Brisbane. Sydney on the other hand is a Boeing 787-10 service with the updated version of Korean Air’s Business class I mentioned earlier, manufactured by Collins Aerospace based on the Horizon seat base.