Korean Air said Wednesday that it will remove the first-class seats from 27 international routes beginning in June, leaving only two options -- economy and prestige -- on 76 of its 111 routes. 

The change is seen as a move by the air carrier to increase the efficiency and maximize the profitability of its flight services. 

As of June 1, only 35 routes -- some 30 percent of Korean Air’s international flights -- will offer first-class seats. 

Currently, the air carrier does not offer a first-class option on most of its short-distance flights bound for cities in China, Japan and Southeast Asian countries. 

For short-distance flights, Korean Air said it will offer first-class seats only on major routes such as those to Beijing, Osaka, Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta and Hanoi. 

“We decided to apply two class seat options for flights to tourism destinations where there was low demand for first class. We will do our best to minimize the inconvenience of first-class passengers and maintain quality service for prestige-class passengers,” said a Korean Air official. 

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)