Korean Air is negotiating the purchase of Asiana Airlines.
Shares of Asiana Airlines rose sharply on Friday on expectations that the South Korean government will sell the troubled full-service carrier to its larger rival in a deal that would inject taxpayer money into both airlines.
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State-run lender Korea Development Bank said on Thursday evening that Asiana could be sold to Hanjin KAL, the holding company of Korean Air. Asiana’s shares soared 25.6% to 5,000 won as the market opened on Friday, before falling back to close the day up by 7.8%, Nikkei Asia reported.
News of the possible salvage deal comes a few months after a $2.2 billion acquisition deal between Kumho Industrial, Asiana’s parent, and Hyundai Development Company collapsed.
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“KDB is considering many options [for the sale of Asiana], but nothing has been decided yet,” the bank said in a statement.
Local media reported that the bank’s chairman, Lee Dong-gull, is in talks with Hanjin KAL executives to strike a deal. Under the plan, KDB would buy new shares of Hanjin KAL, which would in turn use the money to buy a 30.8% stake in Asiana from Kumho.
If the deal is completed, South Korea will have a mega airline with 15 trillion won ($13 billion) in revenue and a fleet of 259 aircraft. However, the deal will need the approval of antitrust authorities around the world, as their combined market share is over 50% for some routes.
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