Korean Air to focus on quality-driven growth after acquiring Asiana

Korean Air will push for quality-driven growth by making sustainable investment for aircraft maintenance and safety, even after finalizing the airline’s acquisition of Asiana Airlines, its chairman said Tuesday. “Korean Air will rise to become the world’s 11th-largest airline (by number of annual passengers) after the merger, but I would prefer to achieve quality-focused growth, rather than achieving such an external growth,” Chairman Cho Won-tae said during a press conference at its headquarters at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul. Cho also chairs Hanjin Group. Cho pledged to accomplish the vision by injecting enough capital for the safety of its converged entities, such as Air Busan and Air Seoul — two low-cost carriers (LCCs) that will be incorporated into Jin Air. Korean Air is set to finish the deal next year, and is also scheduled to launch the converged Jin Air around the end of 2026. Jin Air is an affiliate of Korean Air. “Korean Air will continue making investment, so we can cover aircraft maintenance for all of the converged airlines,” he said. Cho also said the airline will “announce soon” details on the controversial merger of mileage points from Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. The flag carrier has remained in a state of dilemma on the issue, as Korean Air’s points are generally valued higher in the market. “We are aware customers are very sensitive to mileage points,” he said. “Our goal is to find a reasonable middle ground that can be understandable from the perspective of customers. We will announce details shortly.”<br/>