Asiana Airlines Air Cargo Profile

Asiana Airlines is a South Korean airline founded in 1988 and headquartered in Seoul, operating from an international hub at Incheon International Airport (ICN) and a domestic hub at Gimpo (GMP). It joined Star Alliance in 2003. For three decades it was one of South Korea's two major carriers, running a large passenger network alongside a significant freighter operation branded Asiana Cargo, which began dedicated cargo flying in November 1994 and grew into a substantial trans-Pacific and Europe-Asia freight business.

The airline's ownership and cargo footprint changed sharply in the 2020s. Korean Air agreed to acquire Asiana in 2020, and after prolonged regulatory review the European Commission cleared the deal in 2024 on the condition that Asiana's cargo business be sold to preserve competition on Europe to South Korea freight lanes. Korean Air completed its acquisition of a 63.9 percent stake on 12 December 2024, bringing Asiana under the Hanjin KAL group umbrella alongside Korean Air.

To satisfy the merger remedy, Asiana sold its entire dedicated cargo division to Air Incheon in a deal valued around 470 billion won. The transaction, completed on 1 August 2025, transferred roughly 10 to 12 freighters (Boeing 747-400F and one Boeing 767-300F) and about 800 staff, with the operation rebranded AIRZETA. Asiana no longer flies dedicated freighters and now carries cargo only in the bellies of its passenger aircraft. The airline is scheduled to be fully merged into Korean Air on 17 December 2026.