Asiana to Cede EU Flights to T’Way Air After KE Merger

DALLAS — Asiana Airlines (OZ) has announced that it will reduce certain European flights to Rome, Frankfurt, and Paris in April. This is under the European Commission’s fair competition requirements after its merger with Korean Air (KE) in December 2024.

The merger allows the respective carriers to operate independently, with OZ as a KE subsidiary for two years until Jan 01, 2027, before completely integrating into the KE name and corporate identity. However, the European competition authority emphasized the need for the carriers to take measures to ensure competition in the market with the other Korean carriers.

Quoted from the Korea JoongAng Daily, according to the terms of the agreement set, OZ Airline’s flight from Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) will reduce to fly four times weekly with effect from April 25, 2025, down from the current five times. OZ’s flight to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) will be reduced to four times weekly, starting on April 30, 2025, down from the current seven weekly flights offered.

Also, OZ’s flight to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) will be reduced to five times weekly, effective from May 12, 2025, a reduction from its current six weekly flights offered to the French capital city.

According to the clauses that approved the KE-OZ merger, budget carrier T’Way Air (TW) must take over OZ's canceled flights under the merged entity’s agreement with the European Commission. As quoted by the Korea JoongAng Daily, OZ had already decided on and determined which flights would be set for cancellation before the merger was completed on December 12, 2024, and had stopped selling tickets ever since. 

A spokesperson mentioned that the announcement came three months later due to the time taken to coordinate the information; as the spokesperson quoted, “It took us time to coordinate.”

Automatic Rebookings, New Aircraft

Passengers who had previously booked the canceled flights directly from OZ will be automatically rebooked on OZ’s alternative flights operated on other days. They could either retain the new flight, change to flights offered by other selected carriers on a different day, or cancel and get a full refund. OZ would compensate the affected passengers with the flight adjustment costs incurred, extended hotel stays, and transportation costs such as rental car bookings, if any.

However, OZ mentioned they should contact the respective airlines or agents if the booking were made via another airline’s platform or any other third-party agent.

The European Union’s European Commission conditional approval on KE’s acquisition of OZ in February on the terms that the carrier would sell OZ’s cargo business to Air Incheon (KJ) and give up routes that constitute overlapping between the two carriers, such as routes to Barcelona, Frankfurt, Paris, and Rome from Seoul to budget carrier TW. KE sold OZ’s cargo business at the end of 2024 to KJ as part of the merger conditions set for 470 billion won (US$324 million).

T’Way Air, formerly known as Hansung Airlines, is a South Korean budget low-cost carrier based in Seoul. It started operations in 2005 and rebranded to the current TW in 2010. The budget carrier first operated with a pair of Boeing 737-800s on selected domestic and regional routes before officially launching its first international operation in 2011 in Bangkok. In 2022, TW received its first wide-body aircraft, the Airbus A330-300, which enabled the low-cost carrier to launch long-haul flights to Sydney. 

Subsequently, in 2024, TW received its first Airbus A330-200 leased from KE and inaugurated flights to Frankfurt due to the clauses of the merger of KE and OZ. In 2025, the subsidiary received its first Boeing 777-300ER, an ex-Cathay Pacific aircraft, and was due to operate flights to Paris and Rome.

T’Way Air operates flights to Rome, Frankfurt, and Paris using the Airbus A330-200 aircraft. However, in the Northern Summer 2025 schedule, the low-cost carrier will operate the newly acquired Boeing 777-300ER aircraft thrice weekly to Paris and Rome, respectively. The current Boeing 777-300ER flying for TW is a 294-seater aircraft with six first-class seats, 53 in business class, 34 in premium economy, and 201 in economy. TWis also expected to acquire the 368-seater Boeing 777-300ER aircraft soon.

After the acquisition of OZ, KE launched a new corporate branding and aircraft livery to symbolize a new identity. The new livery was unveiled on a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft in a “Rising Night” ceremony in Seoul on March 11, 2025. The new livery featured a modernized Taegeuk symbol and sported the “Korean” word instead of “KE” in a larger, modernized, and simplified dark blue font to “align with modern and global minimalist branding trends while preserving the airline’s distinct identity” cited the company.

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