Korean Air and Asiana Airlines to merge on December 17. On May 13, the Boards of Directors of South Korean airlines Korean Air and Asiana Airlines approved the definitive merger agreement under which Asiana will be absorbed by Korean Air, with the formal signing of the contract scheduled for May 14, prior to the submission of the application for approval to the South Korean Ministry of Transport (MOLIT).
The transaction will result in the operational launch of the integrated airline, operating under the Korean Air brand, on December 17, 2026, at which point the Asiana brand will be withdrawn and its legal entity integrated. The merger of Korean Air and Asiana will then have taken five years after they announced their decision in November 2020.
The resulting group will strengthen the position of the Incheon hub and form one of the world’s leading carriers in international traffic and cargo, after several years of regulatory review and prior governance agreements.
Korean Air has already acquired a 63.88% stake in Asiana Airlines in December 2024, and has made Asiana a subsidiary of the group. The combined group’s low-cost carriers (Jin Air, Air Busan, Air Seoul) will be combined under the Jin Air brand by the first quarter of 2027 at the latest.
