Air Incheon has applied for a permit to carry out scheduled and charter flights to the US as it continues to expand its operations worldwide.
The South Korean cargo airline applied “for a foreign air carrier permit and an exemption authorizing the carrier to engage in scheduled and on-demand charter foreign air transportation of property, mail, and cargo”, according to a US Department of Transportation document dated January 3.
Air Incheon plans to commence operations on July 1, 2025, using Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 767 freighters.
Using Boeing 747-400 freighters, the airline’s proposed routes include: Incheon-Anchorage-Chicago O’Hare-Dallas Fort Worth-Seattle; Incheon–Anchorage-Chicago O’ Hare-Atlanta; Incheon-Los Angeles-San Francisco; Incheon–Anchorage–JFK–Brussels.
The airline is also planning an Incheon-Los Angeles route using either 747-400Fs or Boeing 767Fs.
Air Incheon has identified 10 747-400 freighter airframes, and a single 767-300, which it plans to incorporate following completion of the Asiana business acquisition.
Last month, Air Incheon said in a LinkedIn post that it had “secured new traffic rights to key European routes (Belgium, Milan, Rome) and Asian destinations (Thailand, Singapore) during the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport’s recent allocation meeting”.
Air Incheon said its efforts to expand align with the planned integration of Asiana Airlines’ cargo division, following the European Commission’s November approval of the sale of Asiana Airlines’ cargo business to Air Incheon as part of the conditions for Korean Air to acquire Asiana Airlines, a $1.3bn deal that was completed last month.
On February 13, the Commission approved the proposed acquisition of Asiana by Korean, but as part of this, Korean had to commit to divesting Asiana’s cargo business in order to address concerns that the acquisition would result in reduced competition between Europe and South Korea.
Then in August, Korean signed a “basic business sale agreement” with Air Incheon for Asiana’s cargo business. The sale is worth approximately $342m.
The agreement follows June’s announcement that Air Incheon had been named as the preferred bidder for the sale of Asiana’s cargo business.