The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has ruled the merger of the two Korean carriers would create a monopoly on the Heathrow-Seoul route and named Virgin as the “proposed remedy taker”.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “We welcome the CMA’s decision regarding Virgin Atlantic’s role as the remedy taker in the Korean Air and Asiana merger, which will facilitate our entry into Seoul. 

“We are excited to be appointed as the remedy taker to start flying to Seoul and will confirm our next steps in relation to a route start-up in due course.”

The permission allows for codeshare agreements between SkyTeam member Korean Air and Virgin, which is due to join the alliance imminently.

Permission is for a daily flight and includes slots at Heathrow and Seoul’s Incheon airport. The slots at Heathrow must be used for flights to Seoul for a minimum three years.

Flights are expected to start at the beginning of the summer 2024 season, but one possible deterrent is the detour currently needed to avoid Russian airspace.

Virgin told TTG it was “still early days”, with the airline examining its next steps.