Airlines
Hanjin Group budget carriers to launch as unified Jin Air in March 2027
Written by Jeffrey Teruel | Published on August 25, 2026
Airlines
Written by Jeffrey Teruel | Published on August 25, 2026
Following the Korean Air and Asiana merger and the launch of the unified Korean Air on December 17, the budget brands Air Busan, Air Seoul, and Jin Air will become unified as Jin Air starting March 17, 2027.
Following the Korean Air and Asiana merger and the launch of the unified Korean Air on December 17, the budget brands Air Busan, Air Seoul, and Jin Air will launch as a unified Jin Air starting March 17, 2027.
The boards of the three companies under the Hanjin Group approved the merger plan and signed the agreement on Friday, August 21. Each budget airline is planning for shareholder ratification in December followed by regulatory approval before March 17, 2027. The unified budget carrier will also need to secure its Air Operator Certificate ahead of the launch.
Under the merger plan of the budget airline brands, the flight reservation, ticketing systems, and mobile platforms will be integrated into a single platform. Jin Air will also absorb the other two (Air Busan and Air Seoul), inheriting all the aircraft, routes, assets, liabilities, employees, and legal statuses.
The reported merger ratio is set at 1 share of Jin Air for every 0.29 shares of Air Busan and 0.75 of Air Seoul.
Upon the completion of the airline brand integrations, full-service Korean Air will operate around 240 aircraft while unified budget carrier Jin Air will have around 60.
Based in Seoul, Jin Air is the largest of the three budget brands with 32 aircraft most comprised of narrowbody Boeing 737s including the -800/-900s and the 737-8 (737 MAX 8) and 3 widebody 777-200s. Launched in 2008, Jin Air operates flights to domestic destinations and regional flights to cities in Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the US territory of Guam.
The first of the two Asiana budget brands is Incheon-based Air Seoul with a fleet of 6 narrowbody Airbus A321 aircraft. Launched in 2016, Air Seoul’s destinations include flights to Guam, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Tokyo Narita, Osaka Kansai, and Fukuoka.
Busan-based Air Busan was launched in 2008 and currently has a fleet of 21 narrowbody A320/A321 aircraft. Air Busan’s network includes destinations in Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mainland China, Thailand, and Indonesia.