It took a long time, but the EU Commission has now given its approval to the planned merger of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. However, the two carriers had to make a lot of concessions. Among other things, slots are being given over to the competitor T'way Air, which also has an impact on Frankfurt am Main.

The planned merger has now been approved by all competition authorities except that of the United States of America. Some countries have imposed strict requirements. The European Union demanded extensive concessions from Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, otherwise they would not have given the green light. Among other things, the issue is that there would be overlaps on many passenger and freight routes and thus the loss of competition.

This is where the South Korean low-cost airline T'way Air comes into play, which so far only has Zagreb in its route network in Europe. Numerous take-off and landing rights are given to these. At the same time, Korean Air wants to support its competitor in taking over some routes from South Korea to Europe. Specifically, the low-cost airline will gradually start flight connections from Seoul to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumicino, Barcelona and Frankfurt am Main. This is intended to create additional competition, which ultimately convinced the EU Commission.

In return, the merged company Korean Air/Air Asiana will no longer fly to the affected routes or will operate significantly less frequently. In the Federal Republic of Germany, Korean Air has already voluntarily withdrawn from Munich, although according to the company this was for economic reasons and was not related to the competition law review of the merger. A spokesman confirms that they are looking for other German destinations that could be connected to South Korea. However, the carrier does not yet want to share any further details with the public.

In any case, T'way Air will take over the necessary take-off and landing rights on the four routes mentioned on which both Asiana and Korean Air operate and will serve them in the future. There is currently no schedule for the routes to be added, but it will be done gradually. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines also had to make significant concessions in the cargo area in order to receive approval from the EU Commission.

The deal must be approved by a total of 14 competition authorities. Thirteen of them have now given their approval – some of them subject to conditions. Only the decision of the United States of America is still awaited. We are hearing from the USA that there could be sensitive requirements here too. In any case, it is expected that a decision will soon be announced.