Merging Korean Majors Begin Transition To Becoming A Single Carrier

Four years after first announcing its plan to acquire and merge with Asiana Airlines, Korean Air has secured regulatory clearance to proceed with the full integration of South Korea’s two largest carriers—a move that could reshape the competitive landscape in Northeast Asia and propel Korean Air into the ranks of the world’s top 10 airline groups by size.

Originally unveiled in November 2020 amid the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the merger was designed to stabilize the country’s aviation sector and fortify its global competitiveness. While initially expected to take two years, the transaction faced a protracted approval process, culminating in the final green light from the U.S. Department of Justice in December 2024.

The roadmap now sees Korean Air and Asiana operating as a single commercial entity for two years under separate AOCs before completing a full operational merger under a unified certificate. LCC subsidiaries—Jin Air, Air Seoul and Air Incheon—will also be consolidated into the Jin Air brand.

With regulatory barriers now lifted, Korean and Asiana have begun formal discussions on harmonizing operations, particularly among flight and cabin crews. A joint task force is tackling service standard alignment, an area that EVP inflight service and lounges David Pacey describes as “a learning opportunity.”

“Korean Air has spent years cultivating a strong service culture. But if there’s something Asiana does better, we’re open to adopting it,” Pacey told ATW, noting that integration would likely lean toward Korean Air’s established practices.

As part of its global ambitions, Korean aims to boost its proportion of international passengers from the current 55% to 60–70% post-merger. This includes a significant expansion in foreign cabin crew hiring, with targets set to more than double the pre-COVID figure of 450.

A major cabin retrofit program has started on 11 Boeing 777-300ERs, adding a premium economy cabin—an offering not previously available on Korean Air aircraft. This product will serve short- to medium-haul destinations starting from mid-September.

Korean Air has already begun reaping benefits from the acquisition. In late 2024, the airline took delivery of an A350-900 originally slated for Asiana, leveraging the integration to absorb delivery slots. While Asiana’s remaining backlog remains intact, Yoo said such fleet allocation flexibility was one of the merger’s early advantages.

Aircraft availability, however, remains something of a headache for the airline. Korean Air chairman and CEO Walter Cho said the airline was 20 aircraft short from its initial fleet forecast and was using whatever aircraft it had online to fulfil capacity demands. This includes the relatively older Airbus A380, Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A220.

“Looking at the [fleet] situation now, it looks like we might have to repaint them,” Cho said when asked if the aircraft would be repainted into the new livery, suggesting they might fly longer than expected. By mid-August, at least one 747-8 had been updated to the new livery.