Up, Up And Away

Asiana Airlines celebrates 30 years of soaring success.

- Ellen Clark

THE MERE THOUGHT OF STARTING a new airline is beyond daunting, never mind keeping it aloft and growing for 30 years. But though it hasn’t always been easy, Asiana Airlines managed to do just that.

In 1988 Asiana Airlines, originally known as Seoul Air International, was created with the aim of diversifying the Korean airline industry, previously monopolized by Korean Air. While the airline has had its ups and downs, it managed to consistently win awards and stay on the Best Airlines lists ever since.

The Kumho Group founded Asiana Airlines as chiefly a domestic carrier. Since domestic fares were already low in Korea, the airline operated relatively new planes from the start, choosing to compete on its quality of service rather than ticket price. Beginning with routes based on hubs in Seoul and Cheju, within 18 months Asiana was also flying to four Japanese destinations.

In early 1991 Asiana’s international network spread to Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore — all important commercial centers. That November the carrier launched an ambitious passenger/freight service to Los Angeles via Boeing 747. By the end of 1992, Asiana also added separate routes to San Francisco and New York.

No question the company had its struggles. In July 1993 Asiana experienced its first deadly crash when one of its Boeing 737s hit a mountain on the Korean coast. In the late 1990s Asiana and Korean Air both suffered during the Asian financial crisis. Asiana logged a loss of 53.6 billion Korean won on revenues of 684 billion for 1997. Both airlines began selling off planes to reduce their debt. But despite these and other financial setbacks, Asiana survived, continued to improve services and kept working to keep the airline running.