Korean Air chairman: U.S. expected to approve merger with Asiana by October

Korean Air Chairman and CEO Cho Won-tae expects U.S. approval of the planned merger with Asiana Airlines by the end of October.

“We have done everything the U.S. and the EU have asked us to do,” Cho told Bloomberg. “We will do our best to complete the merger.”

Korean Air is currently seeking approval from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to merge with Asiana Airlines. Since filing for the merger in 2021, Korean Air has received approval from 13 of the 14 jurisdictions, including the United States.

Initially, Korean Air expected the U.S. to approve the merger in late June. However, the U.S. reportedly stated that it would decide on the approval after observing the progress of the sale of Asiana Airlines' cargo unit, a condition set by the EU for approval. The official U.S. decision is not expected until October when the sale of Asiana's cargo business is finalized.

Chairman Cho said that Korean Air is planning to buy more jets. “Korean Air is planning to buy up to 30 new jets, possibly from Boeing,” he said. “It is highly likely to be Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.”


변종국 기자 bjk@donga.com