Asiana Pilot Union

11/09/2025

As Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are in the merger process, workers from both companies and subsidiaries asked the government to check the merger process. It is because the working conditions deteriorated during the merger of the two companies, and there was a problem with aviation safety.

On the morning of the 10th, the KCTU Public Trade Union Aviation Solidarity Council (Chairman Kwon Soo-jeong, hereinafter referred to as the Aviation Solidarity Council) held a press conference of the Public Aviation Solidarity Council in front of the president's office of Yongsan-gu, Seoul. There are five organizations in the Air Solidarity Council, including the Public Transportation Union, the Korean Air Employee Solidarity Division, the Asiana Airlines Labor Union, the Asiana Aviation Air Ailor Labor Union, the Democratic Korea Airport Division, and the Asiana Airport Division.

On December 12 last year, the Fair Trade Commission approved the acquisition of 63.88% of the shares of Korean Air's Asiana Airlines, and Asiana Air was incorporated as a subsidiary of Korean Air. Korean Air is in the process of merger with the goal of final merger in January 2027. The Fair Trade Commission approved the acquisition of shares and imposed an obligation to implement measures such as △maintaining a seat supply rate of more than 90% compared to 2019 △prohibiting a rate increase in rates above the inflation rate compared to 2019 △Prohibition of changing disadvantages compared to products and services compared to 2019 as the conditions of approval for both companies. The condition implementation period is from December last year to December 2034.

The participants in the press conference argued that Korean Air promised to strengthen competitiveness and increase consumer convenience and safety by taking over the shares of Asiana Airlines, but working conditions have become poor, and the safety of consumers and workers is threatened, so government-level checks are necessary.

Kwon Soo-jung, chairman of the Air Solidarity Council and chairman of the Asiana Airlines Labor Union, said, "The reason for taking over to strengthen competitiveness, benefit the people and increase safety is not realized. Currently, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are operating with fewer cabin crews than they reported to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism," he said, "This is an act that threatens the safety of passengers by reducing cabin crews to deal with dangerous situations, and it violates the conditions of the Fair Trade Commission that prohibits changing services for passengers."

He continued, "During the merger process, the necessary training for maintenance, boarding, and operation for each airline, which the workers of both companies had to meet together, was replaced online or the time was reduced." "The two companies also reduced manpower, saying that flights were reduced during the COVID-19 period, but according to the instructions of the Fair Trade Commission, the seat supply rate should also be adjusted compared to 2019, so they are operating with a small number of people. Even if the flight attendant collapses after the longest flight time*, no one is responsible." *Article 128, Paragraph 1 of the current Air Safety Act Enforcement Rules stipulates that the upper limit of annual boarding hours for cabin crew is 1,200 hours.

Song Min-seop, head of the Korean Air Staff Solidarity Branch, said, "Since the merger talk came out, Korean Air has already reduced the number of flight attendants due to COVID-19. While the number of flight attendants has been reduced, the cabin service has been reorganized, making it more difficult for flight attendants," he said, "It seems that the cost burden of the merger is greater than the synergy effect of the merger revealed by Korean Air. The judgment that we should reduce the manpower as much as possible and carry more passengers on the aircraft to create profits puts passengers and workers at risk.”

It was also argued that both airlines maintained the seat supply rate presented by the Fair Trade Commission as a condition for taking over without hiring separate personnel, which reduced aviation safety. Choi Do-sung, chairman of the Asiana Airlines Air labor union, said, "After the end of COVID-19, travel trends have changed and the number of users of some routes has decreased, but the measures of the Fair Trade Commission based on 2019, which was before COVID-19, cannot reflect these changes, so the route operation is being maintained." "While the number of pilots is decreasing, the workload is getting more and the workload is increasing. The increase in fatigue is an issue that can have a profound impact on operation."

Airzeta workers in charge of Korean Air's cargo transportation business urged relevant ministries to take measures to maintain working conditions. Air Zetta is a company launched in May by Air Incheon, an airline that carries out the cargo transportation business of Korean Air, and Asiana Airlines' cargo division. Air Zeta workers who belonged to Asiana Airlines' cargo division said that there was no agreement between labor and management or a succession agreement during the transition process.

Yoon Seok-jae, head of the Air Zeta branch of the Asiana Airlines Union, said, "No one asked about 800 members of the cargo business department whether to agree to the record, and the record was coercively carried out despite the objection. There was no discussion or agreement on the succession of the collective agreement after the transfer," he said, "At the briefing, he said that he would receive the same treatment as before after the transfer, but all the contents were delivered orally and no official documents or materials were provided."

The Air Solidarity Council said that it is necessary to check the government's merger process for the safety of Korean Air and Asiana passengers and workers. The Aviation Solidarity Council asked the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to △implementation of the pilot and cabin crew boarding plan △re-examine the maximum annual flight time regulation △secure the safety training time and system for pilots and cabin crew △the preparation of a support system for the stabilization of Airgate's cargo business. The Ministry of Employment and Labor urged △Guaranteeing the treatment of Asiana Airlines workers △Investigating whether the right to use court leave and leave were violated, and the president's office was urged to prepare a labor-management consultation body to exercise the equal rights of airlines and workers and to check the safety level.

On the other hand, an official from Korean Air said, "We are doing our best to ensure the smooth integration of Korean Air and Asiana Air," and "I have no position on the contents of the press conference."

대한항공과 아시아나항공이 합병 절차를 밟는 가운데 양사와 자회사 노동자들이 정부에 합병 과정 점검을 요구했다. 양사 합병 과정에서 노동 조건이 악화했고, 항공 안전에 문제가 생겼단 이유에서다.민주노총 ...

10/09/2025

On the 10th, the Air Solidarity Council of the Public Service Union held a press conference in front of the President's Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, urging the responsibility of Korean Air, saying that workers' treatment and aircraft safety issues were not being managed during the merger of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. In particular, due to the merger of the two major airlines, low-cost airlines (LCC) such as Air Seoul and Air Busan, which are scheduled to merge, are also causing damage.

At the interview, Korean Air Employee Solidarity Branch, Asiana Airlines · Acoptor Union, Eastar Air Air Awilt Union, and Air Seoul Union participated in the interview and continued to testify on the spot. There was also a performance where workers collapsed by offering photos of Asiana, Air Seoul, Air Busan, and Air Incheon aircraft to the union members who held the plaque of Korean Air Chairman Cho Won-tae.

운수노조 “조종사 인력 20% 줄어” 저수익 노선 울며 겨자먹기식 재개 정비·운항 등 필수교육 축소 지적 “대한항공 맞춰 진급 체계 변경 횡포” 공공운수노조 항공연대협의회가 10일 서울 용산구 대통령실 앞에서 기자회

02/09/2025

공정위의 불공정 시정조치로 항공업이 다 죽어간다. 여행의 트랜드가 바뀐 현재 2019년도 여행지를 가라고 한다. 차라리 현재 유명 여행지 편수를 늘려 승객에게 혜택이 가야하지 않나?

23/08/2025

에어캐나다 파업 종료

나흘간의 파업, 임시 합의로 종료 에어캐나다와 승무원 노조가 연방 중재인의 조정 끝에 임시 합의에 도달하면서 지난 토요일 시작된 파업이 종료됐다. 이번 합의안은 캐나다공공근로자노조(CUPE) 소속 승무원 1만여 명에게 회부...

17/08/2025

Air Canada pilots stand in solidarity with CUPE flight attendants in a historic moment as they exercise their right to strike under the Canada Labour Code at 12:58 p.m. EDT.

By standing together, we strengthen the labour movement and our collective power to secure fair agreements. The best deals are made at the table — not imposed through government interference.

Les pilotes d'Air Canada, solidaires avec les agents de bord du SCFP, lors d'un moment historique alors qu'ils exercent leur droit de grève en vertu du Code canadien du travail à 12 h 58 HAE.

En nous unissant, nous renforçons le mouvement syndical et notre pouvoir collectif pour obtenir des contrats équitables. Les meilleures conventions collectives se négocient à la table des négociations, et non par l'intervention du gouvernement.

17/08/2025

Air Canada pilots joined Mr. Wesley Lesosky, President of Air Canada Component of CUPE, in YYZ to support our flight attendant's efforts to pursue a fair and equitable contract.

Les pilotes d’Air Canada se sont joints à M. Wesley Lesosky, président de la composante Air Canada du SCFP, à YYZ afin de soutenir les efforts de nos agents de bord pour obtenir un contrat juste et équitable.

17/08/2025

[서울=뉴시스]박지혁 기자 = 캐나다 최대 항공사인 에어캐나다의 승무원 노조가 이번 주말 파업에 돌입할 예정으로 항공편이 줄줄이 취소되고 있다. 15일(현지시간) AP통신, CNN 등에 따르면, 에어캐나다 승무원 약 1만명이 노조와 ...

13/08/2025

Asiana Airlines to Implement Self-Learning Operations Ahead of Korean Air Integration… "Safety Concerns"

It has been confirmed that Asiana Airlines (020560) , which is set to merge with Korean Air (003490) , began operating using Korean Air flight procedures on the 1st of this month. Accordingly, Asiana pilots, who must be familiar with Korean Air flight procedures, must study a 400-500-page manual. However, excluding online training in June, offline training has only been provided once (5 hours) and a one-day simulator (mock training) since August. Pilots are concerned that “if they continue to fly based on self-study without sufficient familiarity with the changed procedures, safety may be jeopardized.”

According to a comprehensive report by on the 12th, Asiana Airlines reported to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport last month that it would change its flight procedures to Korean Air's Flight Operations Manual (FOM), Pilot Operations Manual (POM), and Aircraft Command Operations Manual (FCOM), and received approval. The FOM is called the "safety operation bible" and contains procedures and standards that pilots, flight attendants, and maintenance personnel must follow. The POM contains flight instructions including normal and abnormal procedures, while the FCOM is issued by the aircraft manufacturer and contains operational information such as aircraft performance and emergency procedures. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport approves operation regulations to confirm compliance with international operation standards and whether reported procedures are followed in the event of an accident.

However, according to Asiana pilots, the company provides only five hours of offline training and one day of simulator training, requiring each pilot to memorize approximately 400 to 500 pages of Korean Air's manual, which contains different procedures. One Asiana pilot pointed out, "It's dangerous in itself when the captain and first officer fly with different procedures, yet the company tells us to study them individually. If we misunderstand procedures in an emergency, who will be held accountable?"

Pilots claim that the company has minimized training hours as a cost-saving measure. They say that removing pilots' schedules would have resulted in additional costs due to replacement personnel and operational disruptions. Asiana, on the other hand, stated, "We have been providing online training for all flight crews (captains and first officers) since June, familiarization flights (training flights) for instructors and examiners in July, and five hours of offline training and one day of simulator training since August." They added, "We are also accepting applications for ad hoc training, and we are doing our utmost to ensure safety with sufficient online and offline training and simulator training in accordance with regulations."

Asiana Airlines flight attendants also alleged reverse discrimination. Twenty Korean Air A380 flight attendants were dispatched to Asiana Airlines in March to fly flights using Asiana procedures, and they were given approximately two months for training. The dispatch was intended to preemptively implement integrated tasks, including operational procedures and manuals. An Asiana representative stated, "The dispatched crew members received two months of training, including initial training," but added, "It's unclear exactly how long they spent learning the flight procedures."

Experts emphasize that education and training on procedural differences are essential to ensuring safety. Professor Kwon Bo-heon of the Department of Aviation Safety Management at Far East University stated, "To ensure safe operation, sufficient training and education are necessary to understand the differences between the two airlines' flight procedures and how to adjust them if they differ." A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official stated regarding the provision of offline training time for Asiana pilots, "We will review their comprehension after training and consider additional training if necessary."

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