Asiana Airlines Boeing 767
Korean Air maintained a monopoly on South Korea’s domestic and international airline services, much to the chagrin of other Korean consortiums that wished to start their own airline and provide competition. South Korea’s booming economy in the 1980s provided the pressure that finally allowed one of these consortiums, the Kumho Group, to start planning a new airline. Originally known as Seoul Air International, Kumho changed the new startup’s name to Asiana Airlines before scheduled operations began in December 1988. Asiana’s ownership was divided between Kumho and private investors.
Operations started small, with Boeing 737 service between Seoul and Busan, but rapidly expanded, as Kumho had planned. Scheduled routes to Japan began in 1990, by which time Asiana’s fleet had grown to 27 aircraft, mostly 747s and 767s. By the end of 1991, Asiana was flying to Hong Kong, Singapore and Los Angeles. The airline has since done well, weathering both the late 1990s Asian currency crisis and the post-9/11 airline downturn, and today maintains worldwide routes from its base at Seoul-Incheon. It also diversified into air cargo, serving nearly as many destinations with that service as its scheduled passenger routes. Asiana’s fleet today consists mostly of Airbus A321s for Asian routes and Boeing 777s for service to North America and Europe. Asiana’s reputation as one of the world’s finest airlines was slightly marred by a fatal crash of one of its 777s at San Francisco in 2013, but it continues to win awards as one of the
finest airlines in service.
This aircraft, HL-7268, was delivered to Asiana in 1992, and was sold to LAN Chile in 2004. After flying with LAN Chile and GOL, it was converted to a freighter and today flies with Atlas Air.
Asiana Airlines Boeing 767
Korean Air maintained a monopoly on South Korea’s domestic and international airline services, much to the chagrin of other Korean consortiums that wished to start their own airline and provide competition. South Korea’s booming economy in the 1980s provided the pressure that finally allowed one of these consortiums, the Kumho Group, to start planning a new airline. Originally known as Seoul Air International, Kumho changed the new startup’s name to Asiana Airlines before scheduled operations began in December 1988. Asiana’s ownership was divided between Kumho and private investors.
Operations started small, with Boeing 737 service between Seoul and Busan, but rapidly expanded, as Kumho had planned. Scheduled routes to Japan began in 1990, by which time Asiana’s fleet had grown to 27 aircraft, mostly 747s and 767s. By the end of 1991, Asiana was flying to Hong Kong, Singapore and Los Angeles. The airline has since done well, weathering both the late 1990s Asian currency crisis and the post-9/11 airline downturn, and today maintains worldwide routes from its base at Seoul-Incheon. It also diversified into air cargo, serving nearly as many destinations with that service as its scheduled passenger routes. Asiana’s fleet today consists mostly of Airbus A321s for Asian routes and Boeing 777s for service to North America and Europe. Asiana’s reputation as one of the world’s finest airlines was slightly marred by a fatal crash of one of its 777s at San Francisco in 2013, but it continues to win awards as one of the
finest airlines in service.
This aircraft, HL-7268, was delivered to Asiana in 1992, and was sold to LAN Chile in 2004. After flying with LAN Chile and GOL, it was converted to a freighter and today flies with Atlas Air.