Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul will be merged into a single low-cost carrier under the Jin Air brand, with the combined operation targeted to begin in March 2027. The three airlines’ boards approved the plan on 21 August, and the surviving carrier is set to absorb the other two businesses, including their aircraft, employees, routes and operating systems, as Korean Air’s wider integration with Asiana Airlines continues.
The combined fleet is expected to total about 58 aircraft, which would make the enlarged Jin Air South Korea’s largest low-cost airline by fleet size. Reservation, ticketing, mobile and airport check-in systems are due to be unified under a single platform, while the merger ratio places one Jin Air share against 0.2862684 Air Busan shares and 0.7501939 Air Seoul shares.
The transaction still requires shareholder approval in December 2026 and regulatory clearance from South Korean aviation authorities. One report places the formal merger date on 17 March 2027, while another gives 16 March 2027, but both point to the same broader timetable for the consolidation of the Hanjin-linked low-cost platform.