Asiana Airlines to Cease Operations by the End of 2026 Following Merger with Korean Air

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - South Korean airline, Asiana Airlines, is set to cease operations by the end of 2026 after the merger process with Korean Air reaches its final stage.

The airline will be fully integrated into Korean Air on December 17, 2026.

As reported by Executive Traveller on Friday (May 15, 2026), after that date, all of Asiana’s flights, brand identity, and loyalty programs will be merged into Korean Air.

The formal merger agreement took effect on May 14, 2026.

Asiana has long been known as one of the largest airlines in South Korea and a member of the global airline alliance, Star Alliance.

With this integration, the Asiana brand will disappear from the aviation industry after operating for 38 years.

The South Korean government supported the merger of the two airlines to save Asiana’s financial condition, which was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and had been facing debt pressures even before the pandemic.

However, the merger process took a long time because it had to obtain approval from competition regulators in various countries, including the European Union, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

Korean Air finally completed the acquisition of approximately two-thirds of Asiana’s shares in December 2024, with a value of approximately 1.3 billion US dollars or approximately 21 trillion Indonesian Rupiah.

South Korean media, Korea Joongang Daily, reported that the full integration of the two airlines will take place on December 17, 2026, or almost six years after the initial merger plan was announced.

All of Asiana’s flights will eventually use the Korean Air brand. Asiana will also leave Star Alliance and join SkyTeam, following Korean Air’s affiliation.

The merger of Korean Air and Asiana is considered one of the largest consolidations in the Asian aviation industry in recent years.