Korean Air Completes Major Airline Merger With Asiana

Korean Air Lines can complete the merger with its smaller competitor Asiana Airlines for 1.8 trillion won (1.3 billion pounds).

The deal was still subject to approval by American competition authorities, but the US justice department has no objections to the merger.

The merger will create the second largest airline in Asia, measured by international capacity. Worldwide, the merged company will rank tenth in the ranking of largest airline companies, according to data from aviation researcher Cirium.

Korean Air hopes to be able to compete better after the merger with Asiana, also from South Korea. The airline also believes that the merger will strengthen the position of Incheon Airport near Seoul as an important hub.