Korean Air announced its plan to strengthen its private jet charter service in Hong Kong today, focusing on the rising demand for such a service in the territory and in the wider Asian region.

"The Asia-Pacific market has become one of the fastest-growing regions in the world for business jet sales. With state-of-the-art aircraft, unparalleled services and competitive offerings, Korean Air is confident of capturing a share of the market in Hong Kong and in other countries in the region," said Mr. Jae-Hyun Kim, Regional Manager of Korean Air's Hong Kong office.

In order to meet the growing demand for Business Jet Charter services, Korean Air established a dedicated charter team in 2007 and started strengthening its offering in the Business Jet charter service market by adding a state-of-the-art Boeing Business Jet to its fleet in 2010.

The airline provides a wide range of aircraft and services to meet different travelers' needs. Its current fleet includes a Boeing Business Jet, the worldwide bestseller, which is a customized version of the B737 and has large cabin space and luxury features that ensure a pleasant travel experience; a Global Express XRS plane which is highly recommended for small groups of passengers flying long distances; a fast and convenient helicopter service provided by a Sikorsky 76C+ for travel within South Korea, and a Flexjet Connect Service which allows passengers to connect from a regular Korean Air flight to a private jet service for non-stop travel throughout the United States.

In addition to the wide range of aircraft it can provide, Korean Air is also setting a new standard in the private jet service industry by integrating the best practices of its First Class service into its private jet service offering. As a result Korean Air's private jet charter service offers a flexible travel schedule, exclusive terminals which allow access to more airports and provide ultimate privacy, and a Mercury Award-winning in-flight cuisine. Together these help make Korean Air's private jet charter service one of the leading choices for business executives around the world.

In addition, travelers who fly on Korean Air's private jet charter service will earn First Class mileage points and have the access to the airlines VIP lounges.

On top of the plans to strengthen its private charter jet services, in 2013, Korean Air will also introduce nine additional next-generation aircraft to its overall fleet, aiming to expand it to 200 aircraft by 2019. The expansion will allow the airline to provide even more frequent world-class air services to many destinations, as well as to connect the world, in comfort and with convenience. Currently, Korean Air has 152 aircraft which consists of 119 passenger aircraft, 27 freighters, two business jets and four helicopters.

In addition to the daily A380 flights between Seoul and Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Frankfurt, Korean Air will also deploy an A380 service to Atlanta from August this year with three flights per week being flown with the A380 and the rest of the week's flights being covered by B777 series aircraft.

Last year, Korean Air announced that it will start three weekly flights from Seoul/Incheon via Colombo to Malé on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday with flights returning to Seoul/Incheon on every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, using an Airbus A330-300.