Summary
- Korean Air considers retiring A220-300s post-merger with Asiana Airlines, with no final decision yet.
- Merger has gotten approval from most regulatory authorities, with the US DOJ being the ultimate authority that has not approved the merger.
- Each Korean Air and Asiana Airlines operate Airbus A320 family aircraft, yet the previous also operates a fleet of Airbus A220 and Boeing 737s.
Korean Air is debating whether to finish its operations with the Airbus A220-300 aircraft after its merger with Asiana Airlines, which might simplify the 2 carriers’ fleet composition following the completion of the agreement. The merger still needs to be approved by relevant regulatory authorities.
Debating the long run of the A220-300
In line with a report by Bloomberg, citing people conversant in the matter, the airline is currently debating whether to retire its A220-300s from its fleet, with no final decision yet. The sources told the publication there may be a possibility that Korean Air retains the ten aircraft. An airline’s spokesperson told Easy Flying that it has no concrete
The choice is being deliberated as Korean Air is in the ultimate stages of completing its merger with Asiana Airlines, which was announced in November 2020. To date, the merger has been approved by 13 out of 14 regulatory authorities, with the European Commission (EC) green-lighting the deal in January 2024.
Photo: Ryken Martin I Shutterstock
Nonetheless, to be able to gain approval from the EC, each parties needed to commit to selling Asiana Airlines’ cargo business, including aircraft, slots/landing rights, and customer contracts to a different party, in addition to enabling one other party to enter specific markets on routes between the European Union (EU) and South Korea.
![Korean Air and Asiana Airlines aircraft at Seoul Incheon International Airport ICN shutterstock_690832495](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/korean-air-and-asiana-airlines-aircraft-at-seoul-incheon-international-airport-icn-shutterstock_690832495.jpeg)
Korean Air-Asiana Airlines Merger Gains European Approval
Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have agreed to certain divestments to satisfy the EU’s competition regulators.
The last regulatory authority that has yet to approve the deal is the USA Department of Justice (DOJ). There have been reports that the DOJ, which has already dissolved the American Airlines and JetBlue North East Alliance (NEA) and blocked the JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger, was planning to sue against it.
Simplifying the 2 airlines’ fleet
Currently, Korean Air operates three different single-aisle cockpit types, namely the Airbus A220, A320ceo/A320neo, and Boeing 737, including the MAX. Meanwhile, Asiana Airlines’ narrowbody fleet consists of only the A320ceo/A320neo family aircraft for the reason that airline retired its last Boeing 737s in 2013, ch-aviation data showed.
All ten of Korean Air’s Airbus A220-300s are owned by the airline, with the carrier having taken delivery of the single-aisle jets between December 2017 and March 2019. The airline has no further orders for the kind, meaning that it has no plans of upscaling its fleet in the intervening time.
Photo: Singapore Airshow
In line with data from the aviation analytics company Cirium, Korean Air has scheduled 1,473 one-way flights with the kind in February 2024. Nearly all of these are domestic, with the airline’s A220-300s flying internationally only to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Okinawa Naha Airport (OKA).
![Korean Air Airbus A220-300 climbing](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/korean-air-airbus-a220-300-climbing.jpg)
Korean Air Adds Hong Kong’s First Regular Airbus A220 Flights
The A220 has the second smallest variety of seats of Korean Air’s aircraft types.
Resurgent second-hand market
Korean Air can be the second airline to retire its Airbus A220-300 aircraft early, potentially joining EgyptAir, which sold its 12 aircraft of the kind to the aircraft leasing company Azorra to assist the airline make way for its recent Airbus widebody aircraft in February 2024.
Photo: Airbus
On the time of the announcement, John Evans, the chief executive officer (CEO) and founding father of Azorra, said that the aircraft are well-maintained, with freshly overhauled and updated engines from Pratt & Whitney, adding that the dozen A220s have a variety of demand available on the market.
![EgyptAir Airbus A220-300 first flight](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/egyptair-airbus-a220-300-first-flight.jpg)
EgyptAir Sells Airbus A220 Making Way For Latest Airbus Widebodies
The airline’s Airbus A220-300s have barely flown previously few months.