Korean Air's board of directors and Asiana Airlines' shareholders have formally approved the merger between the two carriers, Korean Air announced Wednesday.
These approvals formally ratify the merger agreement executed by both boards in May 2026, according to Korean. The corporate merger registration will be completed on Dec. 17, after which the carriers will be integrated into a single entity.
The deal originated in November 2020, with Korean agreeing to acquire Asiana for 1.8 trillion Korean won, about $1.6 billion. Korean Air finalized its acquisition of a majority stake in Asiana in December 2024 after it gained approval from the European Union and the U.S. Department of Justice did not object to the merger by the deadline date.
Asiana Airlines will depart the Star Alliance on Dec. 16.