Korean Air–Asiana to Release More Slots on 10 Affected Routes
The committee monitoring the merger of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines has begun reallocating airport slots and traffic rights on ten additional routes where the combined carrier would otherwise hold a monopoly, according to South Korean media reports. The move is part of the structural remedies required by the Korea Fair Trade Commission to approve the merger of the country’s two largest airlines.
The newly affected routes include four long-haul services to the United States, one to the United Kingdom, one to Indonesia, and four domestic routes. Among those highlighted were Seoul Incheon–Seattle and Seoul Gimpo–Jeju. The slot transfers are intended to ensure fair competition and prevent market dominance in key international and domestic markets.
The KFTC originally required slot and traffic right concessions on 34 routes. So far, six have been completed, with services from Seoul Incheon to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Paris, and Rome already reassigned to carriers including Air Premia, United Airlines, and t’way Air.
The allocation of the next group of ten routes will be conducted through an open bidding process, followed by eligibility screening and final selection by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Aviation Traffic Deliberation Committee. Selected airlines are expected to launch operations on these routes in the first half of 2026.
The remaining 18 routes will undergo the same process beginning in early 2026. Korean Air said it had no further comment, noting that the remedies were predetermined during the regulator’s merger review.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com