On the 1st, Air Incheon, the only dedicated cargo airline in the country, announced that it would make a fresh start as 'AIRZETA' after completing the acquisition of the cargo business from Asiana Airlines.
AIRZETA has taken over 11 middle- to long-range cargo aircraft, including 10 B747-400F and 1 B767-300F, from Asiana Airlines. With the addition of 4 previously owned B737-800F, the airline now has a total of 15 cargo aircraft in its fleet. The plan is to operate these cargo aircraft on a total of 21 strategic routes.
At the same time, Asiana Airlines fully transferred all of its cargo aircraft, completely winding down its cargo operations after over 30 years. Asiana Airlines first deployed a cargo aircraft on the Seoul (Gimpo)-Los Angeles route in November 1994, just six years after its founding.
The divestiture of Asiana Airlines' cargo business was a prerequisite demanded by the European Commission and the Japan Fair Trade Commission when approving the merger with Korean Air. The board approved the divestiture of the cargo business in November 2023.
On January 16 of this year, a partitioning agreement was signed with Air Incheon for a sale price of 470 billion won, and in March, approval for the transfer of the cargo business was received from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
An official from Asiana Airlines said, "The conclusion of this transaction represents a significant advancement in completing a core task toward an integrated airline," adding that the company plans to focus on the remaining passenger transport business while accelerating the integration process with Korean Air.