On March 1, 2023, the countries of Great Britain and Northern Ireland approved the alliance of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. Korean Air is now awaiting approval from the EU, US and Japan.

The CMA initially scheduled its review until March 23. This was justified by the fact that one would still want to realize the opinion of the market and act accordingly. However, the proposed solutions were generally accepted. The acknowledgment by the CMA shows that the proposed solution was able to overcome objections under competition law. Flights between London Heathrow and Seoul Incheon will in future be managed in cooperation with the airlines Korean Air and Virgin Atlantic.

Since January 2022, Korean Air has presented its solutions to 14 competition authorities. 11 countries agreed to the merger of the two airlines.

Approval was granted by the following 11 states:

• Turkey
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Phillippines
• Malaysia
• Vietnam
• Korea
• Singapore
• Australia
• China
• United Kingdom

The approvals for the alliance from the EU, the USA and Japan are pending for the time being. Korean Air continues to negotiate with all relevant authorities to advance the merger goal.