SEOUL: South Korea's antitrust regulator has imposed significant conditions on Korean Air Co.'s acquisition of a controlling stake in Asiana Airlines Inc., requiring the airlines to retain at least 90 percent of their pre-merger seating capacity on key routes to mitigate competition concerns. According to Yonhap News Agency, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) announced its decision on Thursday, following a conditional approval granted in 2022 for the merger of the two leading South Korean airlines. The merger, which has been under review for four years, is subject to various corrective measures aimed at preserving competition in the airline industry. The primary requirement is that the merged entity must maintain a seating capacity of no less than 90 percent compared to the levels offered in 2019 on 40 designated routes. This means that if Korean Air and Asiana Airlines provided a total of 10,000 seats annually on a specific route in 2019, they must ensure the availability of at least 9,000 seats on that rout e post-merger. The FTC has also allowed flexibility in meeting this mandate. If Korean Air is unable to fulfill the 90 percent threshold independently, Asiana Airlines can augment capacity to ensure compliance. Additionally, the airlines are required to submit a plan to integrate their mileage programs within six months of completing the merger. To oversee the implementation of these measures, the FTC will establish a supervisory committee composed of industry experts within 90 days. An FTC official noted that while the integration of mileage programs presents potential benefits and drawbacks for consumers, ongoing discussions with Korean Air will aim to address these issues.