(Corrected paragraph 6 to mirror that Air Incheon does plan to promote area on to logistics corporations)
Lisa Barrington
SEOUL (Reuters) – Air Incheon, which can change into South Korea’s second-largest cargo airline as soon as a deal to accumulate Asiana Airways’ cargo unit is finalized, will contemplate Boeing Co (NYSE: ) and Airbus to resume its big selection of cargo operations, its chief govt stated. Stated the physique fleet.
The EU competitors watchdog final month authorized Air Incheon, a small cargo airline with 4 Boeing 737s, as the popular bidder to accumulate Asiana Airways’ cargo enterprise as a situation of approving its merger with Korean Air.
The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, will switch Asiana Airways’ fleet, staff, clients and visitors rights to Incheon Air, which is headquartered at Incheon Airport, South Korea’s important worldwide gateway and the world’s fifth-busiest cargo airport. Asiana Airways operates 11 Boeing 767 and 747 freighter plane to 25 cities in 12 nations.
Incheon Air Chief Government Stanley Seunghwan Lee advised Reuters in an interview this week that the acquisition would come with flight rights to main Chinese language export facilities resembling Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, in addition to the US.
The goal is to develop into a worldwide constitution and moist lease supplier whereas promoting area on to logistics corporations, he added.
Lee plans to progressively renew Asiana Airways’ growing older wide-body fleet, a job sophisticated by a worldwide plane scarcity and delays in U.S. approval of Boeing 777-300ER passenger plane transformed into freighters.
“Incheon Air can function the present Asiana Airways fleet for at the least 5 to seven years,” he stated.
Lee is in discussions with lessors and producers to retrofit Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing 777 manufacturing unit freighters or Airbus A350 freighters, which the European planemaker expects to enter service in 2026.
The Asiana Pilots Union (APU) expressed dissatisfaction with Incheon Air being the popular bidder, saying it was too small to compete with Korean Air.
The APU additionally opposes Korean Air’s acquisition of Asiana and stated as of Thursday, greater than 100 Asiana cargo pilots had submitted letters saying they might resign if transferred.
Lee stated Incheon Air wants the cooperation and expertise of Asiana Airways staff and can assure the identical wage and related advantages.
Korean Air has obtained approval for the Asiana deal from 13 of 14 competitors authorities, and Chief Government Walter Cho stated he anticipated a closing U.S. resolution by the tip of October.
