Seoul: Asiana Airlines Inc. announced plans to align its aircraft seat numbering system with Korean Air Co. in preparation for their upcoming integration later this year. The revised seat numbering will be applied to all domestic and international flights between December 14 and 17, with full implementation slated for December 18.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the changes will affect the starting rows for business and economy classes across various aircraft types, excluding the A380. Business class will now begin at Row 7 instead of Row 1, while economy class will start at Row 28 instead of Row 10. For the A380, the economy class on the lower deck will commence at Row 28, a shift from Row 30, while other seating arrangements will remain unchanged. Importantly, these adjustments pertain solely to row numbering, with no physical alterations to seat configurations, as confirmed by a company spokesperson.

Both Asiana and Korean Air have declared that the unified Korean Air will be operational next year, following the completion of the merger process within this year. However, industry insiders and the Korean Air Pilots Union, consisting of 2,500 members, have indicated that the company is internally aiming for a December 17 launch.

Korean Air finalized a 1.8 trillion-won ($1.2 billion) acquisition of Asiana in late 2024, having obtained approvals from antitrust regulators in 14 jurisdictions, including the European Union. At the time, Korean Air announced plans to integrate Asiana after a two-year post-merger integration (PMI) process. As part of this strategy, Jin Air Co., Korean Air's low-cost carrier unit, will absorb Asiana's budget affiliates, Air Seoul Inc. and Air Busan Co. Consequently, Asiana, Air Seoul, and Air Busan Co. will cease to exist once the PMI program is completed.