Younger workers exit Asiana amid uncertainties due to Korean Air's acquisition

By Lee Min-hyung

Younger employees at Asiana Airlines have left the carrier more than any other age group, largely due to concerns about job security stemming from the firm's long-delayed acquisition by Korean Air, data showed Sunday.

The acquisition plan was announced in November 2020, but it has encountered multiple obstacles in obtaining official approvals from foreign authorities since then.

Unlike other airlines, cash-strapped Asiana effectively suspended new hiring activities during this period. This has triggered the steady outflow of the firm’s workforce over the past few years.

Asiana Airlines' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report indicates that the total number of employees was 8,698 in 2021. However, this number has been steadily declining, reaching just 8,045 by 2023.

The airline recruited new flight attendants in August for the first time in almost five years. The COVID-19 pandemic had previously compelled the company to adopt a belt-tightening approach, resulting in a freeze on new hires.

By age group, the number of employees in their 20s and 30s dropped sharply from 2021 to 2023. In 2021, approximately 4,500 employees were under 40, but this number fell to under 3,600 by 2023. In contrast, the number of employees aged over 40 gradually increased during the same period.

The high-stakes merger between Korean Air and Asian Airlines is in the final phase and is widely expected to be completed by the end of this year after possibly winning approval from the U.S. Department of Justice.

However, Asiana employees are still expressing concerns over their job security regarding the merger. The airline’s unionized pilots recently sent an official statement to the European Commission, urging the latter to disapprove the proposed merger, citing concerns over the potential restructuring of Asiana’s manpower.

The union workers also called on the European authority to review other details in relation to the merger.

They include T’way Air’s ability to operate four European routes consistently — From Incheon to Paris, Rome and Barcelona. Earlier, Korean Air transferred the four routes to the Seoul-based low-cost carrier to alleviate monopoly concerns following its merger with Asiana.

However, T’way has since faced criticism for frequent delays for a number of reasons, such as aircraft issues.

Asiana’s cargo business is also on the verge of being transferred to Air Incheon for a similar reason. Asiana’s union workers are strongly opposing the compulsory transfer to the airline.

“Even if legal procedures for the merger will come to an end soon, it will take much more time for Korean Air’s management to settle such disputes with Asiana employees,” an official from the aviation industry said.