Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have secured formal board and shareholder approvals for their long-anticipated merger.
The approvals clear a major hurdle as the two carriers prepare to combine into a single integrated airline on December 17, 2026.
Korean Air’s board of directors ratified the merger agreement on August 12, 2026, satisfying small-scale merger requirements under Article 527-3 of Korea’s Commercial Act.
On the same day, Asiana Airlines secured shareholder approval during an extraordinary general meeting, with 81.86% shareholder attendance and 99.3% of votes, representing 167,436,677 shares, cast in favor of the deal.
Formalizing an agreement years in the making
The approvals formally ratify the merger agreement that both airlines’ boards had already executed back in May 2026.
With this step complete, the companies now move into creditor protection procedures and other remaining administrative requirements.
Once those are finished, the corporate merger registration is set to be completed on December 17, 2026, the same day the combined airline is expected to launch.
Regulatory groundwork already underway
The merger has been progressing through South Korea’s regulatory process for several months.
Korean Air received conditional merger approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) on June 25, 2026, followed by clearance of its merger registration statement on July 24, 2026.
With those milestones cleared, the airline is now working through Air Operator Certificate (AOC) amendments and international operational permits in coordination with relevant authorities.
With the merger approvals now finalized, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are shifting focus toward operational readiness ahead of the December launch.
That includes work on systems integration, joint training programs, and employee engagement across both airlines as they prepare to operate as a single carrier.