October 7, 2026 — Korean Air’s pilots union has withdrawn the labour-dispute mediation filing that opened the door to the airline’s first pilot strike in a decade. Talks continue, with a new target date of October 27.
What happened
The Korean Air Pilots Union withdrew on October 7 the mediation request it had filed on September 7 with the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission. Under South Korean labour law, mediation is the step that comes before a legal strike, so pulling the filing removes the immediate threat.
Both sides accepted the commission’s recommendation to take the most contentious issue off the bargaining table: how to merge the seniority lists of Korean Air and Asiana pilots as the two airlines combine. The union says management drew up the list on its own, despite a contract clause requiring agreement. The airline says seniority is a management decision and that outside consultants set neutral criteria. A Korean Air official told Seoul Economic Daily that seniority “falls under the company’s exclusive personnel authority.”
Negotiations on the 2024 collective agreement and the 2025 wage agreement now continue until October 27, 2026, and can be extended if both sides agree. The filing was the union’s first in about 11 years. Its last strike ran for seven days in December 2016.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| September 7, 2026 | Union files for mediation |
| October 7, 2026 | Union withdraws the filing; seniority issue set aside |
| October 27, 2026 | Current end date for contract and wage talks (extendable) |
| Strike vote or strike dates | None scheduled (TBA) |
What it means for travelers
- Near-term strike risk on Korean Air is off the table. Travel through late October can be planned as normal.
- Put October 27 in your calendar. If talks fail, the union would have to file for mediation again before it could strike, which gives some warning.
- The seniority fight is postponed, not settled. It affects both Korean Air and Asiana pilots and is likely to return as the merger proceeds.
- Travellers using Korean Air or Asiana through Seoul Incheon should see no change to operations for now.
Sources
- Seoul Economic Daily — Korean Air Averts Pilot Strike as Union Withdraws Dispute
- SBS News — Korean Air Averts Pilot Strike Crisis… Union Withdraws Labor Dispute Mediation Request
- Herald Business — 대한항공, ’10년 만의 파업’ 피했다…노조 조정신청 취하
- eToday — 대한항공, 조종사 파업 위기 일단 넘겨…노조 조정신청 취하
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