South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has begun the process of transferring airport slots and traffic rights held by Korean Air and Asiana Airlines on 10 domestic and international routes.
South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has begun the process of transferring airport slots and traffic rights held by Korean Air and Asiana Airlines on 10 domestic and international routes.
Following a decision made by the two airlines' merger monitoring committee, the 10 “monopolized” air routes that are covered in the redistribution plan currently operated by the two merged airlines include:
(To/From Seoul Incheon): Seattle, Honolulu, London, Guam, Jakarta
(To/From Seoul Gimpo): Gimpo-Jeju, Jeju-Gimpo
Jeju-Gwangju, Gwangju-Jeju
Busan-Guam
The KFTC previously approved the merger in December 2024 on the condition that slots and traffic rights for 34 routes be transferred to alternative carriers due to monopoly concerns. Applications are now open for alternate airlines on the affected routes. Following an evaluation by South Korea's Air Transport Deliberation Committee under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Selected airlines could begin operating on the 10 routes as early as the first half of 2026.
According to the KFTC, both South Korean carriers jointly held more than 50% of the market share on those routes at the time. Six of the routes – from Seoul Incheon to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Paris, and Rome – have already been transferred to other airlines.
The process of transfer for the remaining 18 of the 34 routes will also begin in the first half of 2026.
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