Korean Air may buy 20 Airbus A350 wide-body jets, Bloomberg News says (updated)

ASIANA AIRLINES

18/03/2024 03:13

(Adds context in paragraphs 3-5, Korean Air comment in
paragraph 6)
       March 18 (Reuters) - South Korea's biggest carrier,
Korean Air,  003490.KS  plans to buy around 20 A350 wide-body
jets from Airbus  AIR.PA , Bloomberg News reported on Monday, as
it gears up for a pending merger with Asiana Airlines
 020560.KS .  
    Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said the
agreement could be announced as soon as this week, although the
deal isn't final and depends on the outcome of a March 21 board
meeting.
    Korean Air operates a mixed fleet of Boeing and Airbus wide-
and narrow-body aircraft. 
    Korean Air CEO Walter Cho said in February in an interview
with airline industry body IATA the carrier will need to
simplify its fleet after the merger as it will have almost every
aircraft and engine type available. 
    Korean Air has obtained a green light from competition
authorities in 13 of 14 jurisdictions for the purchase of nearly
two-thirds of Asiana for about $1.4 billion. It is awaiting a
U.S. decision to finalise the merger, which Cho said he is
confident will be completed by the end of the year.  
    A Korean Air spokesperson on Monday said the company was
unable to comment on this specific topic at this point in time. 
    

 (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru, Lisa Barrington in
Seoul; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Christian
Schmollinger)
 ((rishabh.jaiswal@thomsonreuters.com;))