Korean Air said in a statement that it continues to make progress obtaining necessary business combination approvals to acquire Asiana Airlines. 

It noted that recently, Thailand's Office of Trade Competition Commission (OTCC) completed its review of the business combination with Asiana, and stated that the submission of a prerequisite business combination report was not necessary.

In February, the airline also received approval from the Turkish Competition Authority for its business combination with Asiana.

The competition commission of the Philippines, where reporting is arbitrary, also approved of the business combination in May.

"The remaining regulatory bodies from which Korean Air requires a business combination approval include the competition commissions of Korea, the United States, the European Union, China, and Japan,"the South Korean flag carrier added.

It noted that it is "actively cooperating" with the respective commissions and providing additional documents upon request in order to finalize the acquisition process as early as possible.

In November last year, Korean Air announced that it is acquiring Asiana Airlines for 1.8 trillion won (US$1.6 billion) creating the world's 10th largest airline.

The deal between South Korea’s two biggest airlines is meant to stabilize and restructure South Korea’s aviation industry amid the unprecedented crisis faced by the global aviation industry due to Coviid-19.