Korean National Airlines
| Founded | 1946 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1948 |
| Ceased operations | 1962 (nationalized) |
| Operating bases | Yeouido Airport |
| Fleet size | 7 |
| Headquarters | Seoul, South Korea |
| Key people | Shin Yong-Wook (founder & CEO) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 대한국민항공 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 大韓國民航空 |
| Revised Romanization | Daehan Gungmin Hanggong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Taehan Kungmin Hanggong |
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.
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. Shin Yong-Wook challenged the government's authority to nationalize his company, but KNA was ultimately taken over in a forced acquisition by the government in 1962, only to be sold to Hanjin by the Third Republic of Korea government in 1969.