Korean Air chairman wins CAPA's Asia Airline Executive of the Year award

Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae has received international recognition for his leadership ahead of the planned launch of a unified Korean Air in December. His expansion of cargo operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and his stewardship of the Asiana Airlines merger were cited as key factors in the award.

Korean Air announced Friday that Cho received the 2026 Asia Airline Executive of the Year award from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).

The award was presented at the 2026 CAPA Asia Aviation Leaders Summit, held over two days beginning Thursday at Portom Hall in New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, Japan. CAPA annually recognizes airline executives who have contributed to carrier growth and industry development.

The CAPA judging panel praised Cho for rapidly restructuring the airline's operations during a crisis and for leading the integration of Asiana Airlines.

Cho took office as Hanjin Group chairman in 2019. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused international passenger demand to collapse the following year, he redeployed passenger aircraft for cargo transport and expanded the cargo business — a strategy that turned air freight into a new revenue stream at a time when passenger travel had in effect ground to a halt.

The acquisition and integration of Asiana Airlines also factored into the evaluation. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are currently in the final stages of the merger process and plan to launch the unified carrier on Dec. 17.

Once the combined airline launches, the passenger and cargo networks, organizational structures, and service systems of the two carriers will be gradually merged into one.

Cho has also maintained an active presence in the global aviation community. He previously served as chairman of the SkyTeam airline alliance board and currently sits on the executive committee of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Marco Navaria, CAPA's head of content and marketing, said Cho's leadership had driven transformative change not only at Korean Air but across the broader Asia-Pacific aviation industry. "His dedication and forward-looking approach serve as an exemplary model for today's aviation sector," Navaria said.

Cho also participated in a one-on-one talk held immediately after the awards ceremony, outlining Korean Air's future strategy to an audience of about 300 global aviation industry officials and foreign media. He particularly highlighted the changes passengers can expect after the unified carrier launches in December and the airline's planned direction going forward.

This is not the first time Cho has received an executive award abroad. He was named Air Transport World's Airline Industry Leader of the Year in 2023, and received the Korea Management Association's Korea CEO Award in 2024.

Meanwhile, Cho has also been deepening ties with his alma mater, the University of Southern California (USC). On Sept. 29 (local time), he attended a naming ceremony for the "Korean Air Lines Convergence Plaza" at USC's University Park campus in Los Angeles. The new plaza will serve as a space for students and researchers from different fields — including engineering and AI — to collaborate and exchange ideas.