Korean Air Rebrands With New Logo and Aircraft Livery Following Asiana Airlines Acquisition

by Anthony Losanno
Korean Air New Branding 1

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Korean Air’s $1.3 billion takeover of Asiana Airlines was first announced in November 2020. The pandemic delayed the merger, but it officially moved forward in December after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) signed off (it was the 14th of 14 regulatory authorities that needed to approve it).

The combined carrier will become Asia’s second-biggest airline group based on capacity (after Singapore Airlines) and the 10th-largest globally. The airline will own a 63.88% stake in Asiana Airlines and become the rival carrier’s effective owner. In order to gain approval, Korean Air had to sell Asiana’s cargo business to Air Incheon and transfer four commercial routes where the two carriers overlapped to low-cost carrier, T’way Air. Asiana will be operated as a subsidiary of Korean Air until January 2027, when it will be integrated fully into the Korean Air brand.

To celebrate the acquisition, Korean Air revealed its new corporate identity, logo, and aircraft livery at an event called “Rising Night” at one of the airline’s hangars in Seoul. Around 1,000 guests, including media and employees, attended the presentation where the new logo and livery were unveiled.

Korean Air New Branding 2

Korean Air’s aircraft have had sky blue and white bodies with tails decorated with a stylized taeguk (a traditional blue and red Korean symbol) since 1984. The rebranding sees the a more modern font, solid, light blue aircraft, and the taeguk in solid dark blue.
Walter Cho, Chairman and CEO of Hanjin Group and Korean Air, said:
With this foundation, we will build an industry-leading safety system, elevate the customer experience and strengthen trust through open communication with all stakeholders. Together we’ll create a more connected and better world. With the full integration of Asiana Airlines, our role as Korea’s flagship carrier has grown even more significant. We will bring together our expertise, refine our strengths and unite cultures to create an innovative, unmatched airline experience.”

Anthony’s Take: I think the new livery and logo look sleek, but I was also a fan of the look that has adorned Korean Air’s planes for the past 31 years.

(Image Credits: Korean Air.)

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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.

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