Air Incheon to consider widebody freighter orders after Asiana cargo purchase

Air Incheon, set to become South Korea's second-biggest freight carrier once a deal to buy Asiana Airlines' cargo unit is finalised, will consider both Boeing and Airbus freighters to refresh the widebody fleet, its CEO said. The EU competition regulator last month approved Air Incheon, a small cargo-only carrier with four Boeing 737s, as the preferred bidder to buy Asiana's cargo business, as a condition of approval for it to merge with Korean Air Lines. The purchase for an undisclosed sum would transfer Asiana's fleet, staff, customers and traffic rights to Air Incheon, which is based at Incheon airport, South Korea's main international gateway and the world's fifth-busiest cargo airport. Asiana operates 11 Boeing 767 and 747 freighters to 25 cities in 12 countries. The acquisition will include the rights to fly to major Chinese export hubs like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and to the U.S., Air Incheon CEO Stanley Seunghwan Lee said this week.<br/>