Asiana A321 Appears in Korean Air’s New Livery as Long-Awaited Integration Enters Final Phase

Key highlights: Korean Air–Asiana merger

1. Six-year journey: The merger began with Korean Air’s acquisition plan in November 2020, making it one of the longest major airline consolidation processes in recent years.
2. Global regulatory marathon: Approval was required from competition authorities across 14 countries and regions, with major reviews by the EU, U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and the UK.
3. Major competition remedies: Regulators required measures including the transfer of European passenger routes to T’way Air and the sale of Asiana’s cargo business to Air Incheon before the EU gave final clearance.
4. Acquisition completed in 2024: On December 12, 2024, Korean Air acquired 63.88% of Asiana, but the two airlines continued operating separately while preparing for full integration.
5. Final integration approved in 2026: South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport approved the integration on June 25, 2026, while Korean Air and Asiana boards/shareholders completed their merger approvals on August 12.
6. December 17, 2026 is the big day: The legal merger is scheduled to take effect on December 16, with the integrated Korean Air launching on December 17, 2026. Asiana will cease to exist as a separate airline, while fleet liveries, flight numbers, IT systems and airport operations transition progressively.

The long-awaited integration of South Korea’s two largest full-service airlines has entered one of its most visible phases, with an Asiana Airlines Airbus A321-200 photographed wearing Korean Air’s new livery while retaining Asiana’s name and logo.

The aircraft is expected to begin operating domestic services from September 9, according to industry reports cited in South Korea. The appearance marks the first reported example of an Asiana aircraft receiving Korean Air’s new exterior design ahead of the launch of the integrated carrier.

The development comes just over 100 days before the planned December 17, 2026 launch of the integrated Korean Air, when Asiana Airlines is scheduled to disappear as a separate legal airline and be absorbed by Korean Air.

Korean Air itself has confirmed that December 16 will be the effective merger date, with merger registration and Asiana’s dissolution filing scheduled for December 17.

A first glimpse of the integrated fleet

The A321 is particularly symbolic because it combines two stages of the integration process: the aircraft remains an Asiana Airlines asset and carries the Asiana corporate identity, but its exterior now incorporates Korean Air’s new visual identity.

The transition will not happen overnight.

Korean Air has said Asiana’s fleet will be repainted progressively, with maintenance schedules and aircraft utilization determining when individual aircraft enter the paint process. Consequently, aircraft in the existing Asiana livery are expected to remain in service for some time after the legal integration.

That means passengers could temporarily encounter a mixed fleet in which Korean Air flight numbers are operated by aircraft still carrying Asiana markings, making advance communication and airport information particularly important during the transition.

Korean Air has said it is preparing measures to minimize passenger confusion during the period in which aircraft appearance, flight numbers and airport systems are being progressively standardized.

The merger has already taken six years to reach this point

The December 2026 integration is the culmination of a transaction that began during the COVID-19 crisis.

Korean Air announced its decision to acquire Asiana in November 2020, when the pandemic had severely damaged demand and left Asiana under significant financial pressure. The original transaction was valued at approximately 1.8 trillion won, with Korean Air ultimately taking a 63.88% stake in Asiana.

But what initially appeared to be a straightforward consolidation became an exceptionally lengthy international competition review.

Because both airlines operated extensive international networks, the transaction required scrutiny from competition authorities in multiple jurisdictions. Korean Air submitted merger filings beginning in 2021, with authorities examining the potential effect on competition in passenger and cargo markets.

By late 2021, Korean Air had already secured approvals or procedural clearance in several markets, including Turkey, Taiwan and Vietnam, while Thailand determined that a prior approval procedure was not required. The airline was still awaiting decisions in major jurisdictions including South Korea, the United States, the European Union, China and Japan.

Why approvals took so long

The biggest obstacle was the sheer international overlap between Korean Air and Asiana.

The airlines competed directly on a number of international routes, while together controlling a substantial share of capacity at Seoul's Incheon International Airport. Regulators therefore examined whether the combination could reduce competition, increase fares or limit consumer choice.

South Korea's Fair Trade Commission imposed conditions including measures involving slots, traffic rights, capacity and competition on affected routes. The authority's later records show that structural remedies covered dozens of international and domestic routes, including requirements concerning alternative carriers and the surrender or transfer of slots and traffic rights in specified markets.

The European Commission conducted one of the most detailed reviews.

In February 2024, the European Commission granted conditional approval after an in-depth investigation, requiring remedies addressing competition concerns in passenger and cargo markets. Korean Air subsequently committed to divesting certain European passenger routes and to selling Asiana's global cargo business.

The EU's final approval arrived on November 28, 2024, after the Commission confirmed that the required conditions had been fulfilled. The remedies included the transfer of four European passenger routes to T'way Air and the sale of Asiana's cargo operation to Air Incheon.

Japan's Fair Trade Commission approved the transaction in January 2024, another important milestone in the lengthy process.

The United States was another critical hurdle because of concerns over competition on trans-Pacific routes. After years of scrutiny and negotiations over remedies, the U.S. review was completed in December 2024.

By then, the deal had become an unusually prolonged airline M&A process. Reuters reported in December 2024 that the transaction had taken roughly four years from announcement to completion and had become the longest airline M&A process on record according to LSEG and Dealogic data at the time.

Acquisition completed in 2024 — merger comes in 2026

A crucial distinction is that the acquisition and the legal merger are separate stages.

On December 12, 2024, Korean Air completed the acquisition of 63.88% of Asiana, officially making Asiana a Korean Air subsidiary. Korean Air said it had secured all required approvals from competition authorities in 14 countries and regions.

At that point, however, Asiana did not disappear.

Instead, Korean Air began a roughly two-year post-merger-integration preparation period. The strategy was designed to allow the two airlines to progressively align their operations, systems, safety procedures, fleets, airport processes and corporate structures before the final legal merger.

Korean Air says the two-year preparation period was necessary because the integration involves aircraft operations, maintenance, operational systems and other safety-critical functions. The airline determined that December 2026 was the optimal point for full integration.

Final merger approved in August

The final corporate process moved another step forward on August 12, 2026.

Korean Air's board approved the absorption merger under South Korea's small-scale merger procedure, while Asiana shareholders separately approved the transaction at an extraordinary general meeting.

At the Asiana meeting, shareholders representing 81.86% of the outstanding shares participated, with 99.3% of participating shareholders voting in favor of the merger, according to Korean Air.

Korean Air subsequently announced that it would remain the surviving company, while Asiana would be dissolved through the absorption merger.

The agreed merger ratio is 1 Korean Air share for 0.2736432 Asiana shares, with Korean Air scheduled to issue approximately 20.34 million new shares to eligible Asiana shareholders.

December 17: the final transformation

Under the current schedule, December 16, 2026 is the legal merger date, while December 17 is the key public launch and registration date.

Korean Air is continuing preparations with South Korean and overseas aviation authorities, including the regulatory work required to incorporate Asiana's aircraft and operations into Korean Air's operating framework.

The airline has already begun preparing common operational systems, standardized crew training and other infrastructure needed for the combined carrier.

The integration will also bring significant changes for passengers.

Asiana's Star Alliance membership is scheduled to end on December 16, 2026, with the transition to Korean Air's SkyTeam-based benefits planned from December 17.

Flight numbers, aircraft markings, airport displays, check-in systems and other customer-facing elements will therefore progressively move toward a single Korean Air identity.

Here is a concise Korean Air–Asiana merger timetable, separating the acquisition, regulatory approvals, and the final legal merger.

A new chapter for South Korean aviation

The emergence of an Asiana A321 in Korean Air's new colors is therefore more than a livery change.

It is an early physical manifestation of a consolidation that began in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, spent years navigating competition reviews across 14 jurisdictions, required substantial concessions to regulators and finally resulted in Korean Air taking control of Asiana in December 2024.

Almost six years after the original acquisition plan was announced, the two airlines are now approaching the final step.

The sight of an Asiana aircraft wearing Korean Air's new livery offers passengers and the aviation industry one of the clearest indications yet that the December 17, 2026 integration is moving from regulatory and corporate planning into visible day-to-day operations.

The Asiana name may still be present on the aircraft today — but the countdown to its disappearance as an independent airline has entered its final months.

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